5 Common Myths About Alcohol
As a professional who serves up the good times, you’re likely no stranger to drinking “wisdom” from customers. If you’re certified with BASSET On The Fly, YOU are the master of wisdom when it comes to appropriately serving and selling alcohol. Don’t fall for these myths!
“Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, you’ve never been sicker.”
Ah, the perennial favorite. In reality though, it’s not about drinking in some magical sequence. It’s more about individual characteristics, like gender, body weight, amount of food consumed while drinking, type of food consumed, and even percent body fat compared to muscle. There’s no secret trick to get away with over doing it on alcohol.
“I’ve been drinking my whole life. An hour after a drink, I’m good to drive.”
No one is so “experienced” with drinking that they no longer need more than an hour for their blood alcohol level to resume to normal. Some customers even think it’s fine to keep piling on a drink an hour, thinking as long as they’ve waited an hour from the last drink, they’re safe to drive. Each additional drink just adds to the time needed for the effects to fully wear off. It often takes at least an hour and a half for one drink to be fully processed and out of your system.
Not to mention that a lot of customers forget some drinks are more than “a drink.” A lot of mixed drinks and a larger draft beers will have more alcohol than your standard single drink. Keep your customers’ safe, and keep track of it even when they don’t.
“I just need some coffee, and I’m good to go.”
Caffeine might make you think you’re more sober because you feel a bit perkier, but unfortunately, none of the effects of alcohol are any different. You’re just perceiving yourself as less impaired than you actually are. You won’t exercise better judgment or have a better ultimate outcome when it comes to reaction times.
Go for the coffee to help get you going the morning after when you’re hungover, but no one should be fooled that it will sober them up faster!
“Don’t break the seal!”
Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it will make you need to pee more. This is why dehydration is a concern with excessive drinking. But holding your pee won’t mean you make less of it, it will just make you more uncomfortable. Don’t bother trying to hold it; it won’t help!
“Lighter beer has less alcohol content than darker beer.”
The color of the beer has absolutely no bearing on the alcohol content. That means some lighter colored beers have more alcohol content than darker beers. No one should assume otherwise!
At BASSET On The Fly, we’re here to help you and your employees keep the facts straight. If you sell or serve alcohol in the state of Illinois or you manage a team who does, it’s imperative (and required) that you have an On-Premise or Off-Premise BASSET card. Our course is 100% online, has no timer so you can proceed through the material as fast as you want, and your temporary BASSET card will be emailed to you immediately upon completion. Enroll today!
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