Is it the liquor talking?

We tend to take for granted that we'll know when somebody's drunk ... most of us have seen the symptoms in person many times! However, when you're at work and your very employment might rest on your ability to correctly identify intoxicated people, the question becomes a lot more serious. Today we go through some of the common signs of drunkenness that your RSA course in Brisbane will teach you, to help alcohol service staff implement the RSA guidelines properly.

The Legal Definition

One legal definition which you might be taught in your RSA course in Brisbane is:

"A person is drunk for the purpose of this Act if the person is on a licensed premises or regulated premises; and the person's speech, balance, coordination, or behaviour appears to be noticeably impaired; and it is reasonable to believe in the circumstances that the impairment resulted from the consumption of liquor"

But how do you determine what is 'noticeable'? How do you know when somebody is impaired? Here are some practical guidelines for determining whether someone is drunk, to help you meet your RSA obligations.

The Layman's Definitions

The following behaviours or symptoms, especially when more than one is occurring simultaneously, would give you good grounds to contact a supervisor and refuse service to a patron, in accordance with RSA guidelines.

• Muddled speech, slurred words or incoherent sentences

• Red eyes, and inability to focus on your face or keep their eyes in the one spot

• Swaying on the spot, or staggering while walking

• Spilling or dropping drinks

• Difficulty paying attention or understanding normal conversation

• Unable to stand on their own

• Fumbling with their change or wallet when paying

• Difficulty opening doors, or walking through doors

• Rudeness and aggression

• Being belligerent or argumentative

• Being offensive or bed tempered

• Becoming physically violent - however it is important to remember that all venues have a responsibility to immediately remove anybody who is becoming physically violent, whether they are exhibiting any other signs of drunkenness or not.

• Annoying or pestering others when advances are clearly unwanted

• Vomiting, or smelling of vomit

• Looking drowsy, or beginning to sleep at a table or at the bar

• Making inappropriate sexual advances to people, or general loss of inhibition - dancing wildly, singing loudly, etc.

Any one of these signs in isolation would not necessarily create a case for refusing service of alcohol - you'll know through personal experience and learn in your RSA course in Brisbane that most drunk people exhibit two, three or more of these signs. If you refuse service in accordance with RSA guidelines, make sure you document which of the signs the person was exhibiting.

Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption can create medical emergencies, as your RSA course will teach you. If a person in your venue begins having seizures, passes out and has pale, cold or clammy skin, looks bluish and is breathing fewer than eight times a minute, you should call emergency services straight away.