Skip to main content

Cheers to Ringing in the New Year Safely






Before you gather with family and friends to ring in the New Year, make sure you’ve made plans to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.


Going out to celebrate?

  1. Make a plan to get home safely. If you plan on drinking, designate a non-drinking driver ahead of time and leave your keys at home, or program the phone number of a friend or local taxi service to your phone.
  2. Pace yourself. Pay attention to how much alcohol you are consuming
  3. Stay hydrated. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water.
  4. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. They’ll thank you for it.
  5. Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking. There’s always another way to get home safely! It’s not worth the risk.
  6. If you see someone driving drunk, call the police. Getting drunk drivers off the roads prevents tragedies and saves lives.



Hosting a party?

  1. Make sure to keep all alcohol, festive foods, chocolates, floral arrangements and party decorations away from your pets.  Anytime there is alcohol, food, and people celebrating, it can be a hazard for your furry family members.
  2. Be a responsible and sober host. Limiting your own alcohol intake will allow you to better determine if a guest is sober enough to drive at the end of the night.
  3. Food is the key.  Have plenty of food on hand, and make sure platters of hors d'oeuvres are kept fresh. Foods with protein, such as meats and cheese, help buffer the effects of alcohol.
  4. Provide non-alcoholic beverages and plenty of water. Offer water, coffee, or other non-alcoholic spacers between drinks.
  5. Know and watch for the 50 likely signs of visible intoxication, combinations of the signs, and changes in behavior.
  6. Count the number of drinks, not glasses, each guest has.
  7. Wait until a guest finishes a drink before offering another.
  8. Serve one drink per person at a time.
  9. Do not push drinks.
  10. Have designated drivers. Plan to have sober drivers at your party who can escort folks home. Volunteer to be a sober driver at someone else’s party.
  11. Don’t serve alcohol to minors. The legal drinking age is 21. As the host, it is your responsibility to make sure minors aren’t drinking.
  12. Be aware of Oregon's Social Host laws.  As a social host, if you serve visibly intoxicated persons or guests, you may be held liable for damages caused by the persons or guests away from your home or licensed premises (ORS 471.565) 

Cheers to celebrating responsibly! Happy New Year!

Comments

  1. 2015 is going to be a great year in Oregon. Good fishing, superb dining and good friends. If you drink over the New Year Holiday and choose to drive, by all means drive responsibly. I personally do not drink, but I am certainly looking forward to the soon legal availability of marijuana in Oregon. How fantastic to smoke legally in my living room! I'm 65, with a relaxing water pipe, some good music (Mahler, Bach, or Mortin Lauridsen) a cedar-scented candle, I know I'll feel young again, and even better know that I'm not breaking the law.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can I see your ID, please?

From time to time, we receive questions on whether the OLCC requires anyone buying or being served alcohol to have a valid ID on them. The OLCC requires licensees to check ID of anyone who reasonably appears 26 years old or younger. An establishment might have a restriction on their liquor license due to a history of serving alcohol to minors or allowing minors in prohibited areas. In this case, it could be that a licensed business is required to check the ID of every person entering the establishment or being sold/served alcoholic beverages. Or, a business can choose to have a stricter ID policy than what the state requires. If you’re at a restaurant with your underage friend or relative, you might not be served - even if you have the ID to show you’re of age. Some businesses will refuse service if they suspect that you might furnish the alcoholic beverage to a minor at your table. Current accepted forms of ID include a valid state driver license with a photo; a valid DMV ID card wit

Who has the lowest liquor prices?

by Christie Scott You may have heard some say that liquor is cheaper in California. The facts are that only a handful of products are significantly lower, while most products are very competitive. In fact, after you’ve added in the California sales tax, many popular products in Oregon are actually less expensive. Many retail stores in states like California use a sales tactic called “loss leaders.” This is the practice of drastically marking down a few popular, fast-moving products to entice customers into coming into the store and purchasing other products. But then other products are likely marked higher to make up the cost difference. The OLCC does not use these techniques to entice people into liquor stores. For public safety reasons, the state does not try to encourage alcohol sales or try to entice people into the stores. The most common size bottle sold in Oregon is 750 ml also known as "fifths." Most people who purchase alcohol purchase this size - a

OLCC launches new online search tool for distilled spirits, liquor stores

Looking for a particular distilled spirits product but don’t know which liquor store carries it or where a store is located? Introducing www.oregonliquorsearch.com - a new website designed by the OLCC to enhance customer service. With the click of a mouse, oregonliquorsearch.com allows customers to search for a specific product and find which stores carry it. You can search by brand name, a distilled spirits category such as vodka or cognac, or by liquor store. Your search returns the entire list of products, size, price, and locations that carry the product. All store locations will be listed, but not all stores currently provide daily liquor inventory. Searches for liquor stores give the address, phone number, and directions through Google Maps. Liquor agents are independent contractors who have the flexibility to set their own hours. Customers can check to see their local store’s hours by searching by location. “To me, it’s all about improving customer service,” said Jim MacAlista