Recognizing Intoxication and Impairment
This domain tests whether you can spot behavioral impairment before a sale, not whether you can calculate an exact blood alcohol concentration. New Hampshire's legal limit for adult drivers is 0.08, with aggravated DUI at 0.16 and a 0.02 threshold for drivers under 21, but your service decision turns on visible signs.
What to observe
- Speech: slurring, repetition, unusually loud or slow talk.
- Balance and coordination: staggering, leaning on furniture, dropping money, spilling drinks, missing a chair.
- Eyes and face: bloodshot or glassy eyes, blank stare, unusual flushing.
- Behavior: mood swings, aggression, overfamiliarity, confusion, slowed responses, poor judgment.
- Physical clues: strong odor alone proves little; combine it with behavior.
What affects impairment
A standard drink is about 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine, or 1.5 oz of 40% spirits. Body weight, food, hydration, fatigue, medications, cannabis, and drinking speed all matter. Tolerance can hide outward signs while judgment and reaction time remain impaired. The body clears alcohol slowly, roughly 0.015 BAC per hour; coffee, cold air, and food do not sober someone up.
Worked example
A 150-pound patron has three drinks over two hours and seems steady, but later knocks over a stool and repeats the same story loudly. A rough BAC estimate might look low, yet the observed behavior is impaired. Reasoning: service decisions are based on visible impairment, not a drink count or a calculator. Refuse further alcohol, offer water and food, and arrange a ride.
Traps that cost marks
Equating odor with intoxication. Assuming coffee or a cold shower restores sobriety. Treating tolerance as proof the patron is fine. Counting drinks without considering time, food, or other substances. Waiting for obvious stumbling before acting, when earlier signs were already present.