Have you ever been to a bar where the bartender just keeps on serving alcohol to people no matter what?
For the past "almost ONE year" of being sober, it has been on my mind lately about bartenders and "HOW" much they will actually keep serving alcohol to their customers who are already intoxicated. You might find this one interesting.
The morning that I woke up in the suicide unit at the hospital with a broken leg, I had been at karaoke for the evening. Honestly, I didn't even plan on getting soused. I was only going to have 2 or 3 glasses of wine and then come back to my house and drink alone in my office. But for some DUMB reason which I have none, I wanted to go to listen to people sing and just watch other people have fun. Going to Karaoke is something I never do, especially alone.
You see, I live only about 5 blocks away from the bar/restaurant where I went that night. Every Wednesday night you can hear the people singing and the music blaring even laying in my bed or sitting on my sofa. That's how loud it is.
Anyway, I went up to the place and I sat alone at a table while I drank 3 glasses of wine listening to the people sing. Before I got there, I had not drank any alcohol. After my 3rd glass of wine, I moved to the bar. I chatted with the bartender for the remainder of the night of what I can remember. I DO remember him serving me shots after shots and glasses of wine after glasses of wine until the next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital. I know without a DOUBT that he knew I was OVERLY drunk but he kept serving me. (Listen, I am not making any excuse for what happened to me that night. I ALWAYS take full responsibility for all of my actions), but that doesn't mean that you can't wonder about things. Or maybe everything that happened that night wouldn't have happened if I was cut-off from alcohol when I was supposed to have been.
Some bartenders will keep on serving their customers to increase their tip. Others will do it for their close friends. All I do know is that I guarantee I had more than 2 bottles of wine that night and countless shots. It was enough for me to absolutely BLACK OUT. I will say that as much as I was drinking on almost a daily basis that I didn't black out hardly ever and I hadn't in a very long time. It maybe takes 4 bottles of wine on top of some liquor for me to be that intoxicated.
Here is where it gets interesting. I've been a bartender in my past two times. One time at a casino in Oklahoma, and the other time was at a bar and grill in Oklahoma. I knew the laws and what I could and couldn't do in order to keep myself out of trouble when it came to serving alcohol to customers. I never had a problem with telling someone they had enough and I couldn't serve them anymore. If someone was to drink too much, leave the bar or the casino, get into an accident and die or end up in the hospital, then I would be the one responsible. NO ONE ELSE. Not the person buying the liquor, but ME for serving to someone already intoxicated.
Here is the law in Kansas when it comes to bartenders....
~In Kansas, it is illegal for a bartender or anyone else to knowingly sell, give away, or serve alcohol to someone who is incapacitated or already intoxicated. Violations are considered misdemeanors with potential fines and jail time. Kansas also has "dram shop" laws, which can hold establishments and servers liable for damages caused by intoxicated individuals they served.
Key points about Kansas alcohol service laws:
Prohibition of Service to Intoxicated Persons:
~Kansas law specifically prohibits knowingly selling, giving away, or serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is incapacitated or already intoxicated.
Penalties for Violations:
~Violations of this law are considered misdemeanors and can result in fines of at least $100 and up to $250, and/or imprisonment for up to 30 days.
Dram Shop Liability:
~Kansas has "dram shop" laws, meaning that establishments and servers can be held liable for damages (like accidents or injuries) caused by an intoxicated person they served.
Third-Party Liability:
~This means that if an intoxicated person injures someone else, the injured party may be able to sue the establishment or server who provided the alcohol.
Elements of Proof in Dram Shop Cases:
~To successfully sue for dram shop liability, the injured party generally needs to prove the establishment served the intoxicated person, that the person was visibly intoxicated at the time of service, and that the service contributed to the damages.
Interesting huh? So in all, I could have most likely sued that establishment to pay all of my hospital expenses from that night and until the hospital would release me since I was on suicide watch. BUT that's not who I am, and I don't sit around all the time regretting not checking with an attorney.
I was mostly just curious because since I have to sit at home and listen to all the people sing and be loud from 5 blocks away, it gets pretty annoying when you're sober HA-HA.
I should have never been there to begin with, but on the bright side, going there was the end of my hitting bottom and finally getting sober.
So here is a message to all those bartenders out there who really don't give 2 cares about the people they are over-serving. You will change your attitude when you get sued by a family who has lost a loved one from a drunk driver. You will change your attitude when someone commits suicide because they are so drunk and can't think straight that they just go ahead and kill their-self this time. It's serious stuff to think about.
I also know of certain people who will only strictly go to certain places where they know that the bartender will OVER-SERVE them because they are friends.
It's not right by either party.
So in finishing with this blog I want to say,
Only Do Karaoke Sober! lol. I don't even like karaoke. ha-ha.
xoxoxo, Michelle Neal