Restrict Alcohol Sales at Community Events

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Strategies & Approaches › Reduce Availability › Restrict Alcohol Sales at Community Events

Restrict Alcohol Sales at Community Events

Alcohol restrictions at community events include policies that control the availability and use of alcohol at public venues, such as concerts, street fairs and sporting events. Restrictions can be implemented voluntarily by event organizers or through local legislation. Alcohol restrictions at these events can range from a total ban on alcohol consumption to the posting of warning posters that detail the risks associated with consuming alcohol. These restrictions may help to reduce alcohol-related problems such as traffic crashes, vandalism, fighting, and other public disturbances. The following is a list of practices or policies that may be implemented to restrict the availability and use of alcohol by underage youth and obviously intoxicated attendees at community events.

Planning and set-up:

Establish non-drinking areas for families and youth
Establish designated drinking areas where underage youth are not allowed; prohibit of-age drinkers from leaving these particular areas with alcoholic beverages
Limit alcohol sponsorship of events or vendors
Have alcohol-free days/nights where no alcohol is served or permitted at the event
Establish enforcement procedures for all policies

Alcohol providers and sellers:

Require alcohol license holder to have liability insurance (check your state laws for specific legal requirements on liability)
Require responsible beverage service training for alcohol sellers and event coordinators
Require alcohol sellers to be at least 21 years old
Require a manager to be on duty at the alcohol booth at all times
Establish age identification checking procedures
Prohibit drinking by servers
Require the posting of signs indicating the illegality of providing alcohol to minors and obviously intoxicated persons

Security:

Establish procedures for handling intoxicated drinkers
Require that security staff be adequately trained
Ban alcohol consumption in parking lots and ensure that lots are monitored

Food/Beverage:

Limit cup size to 12 ounces
Use cups for alcoholic beverages that are easily distinguishable from non-alcoholic beverage cups
Limit number of servings per person per purchase to one or two
Halt the sales of alcohol at least one hour before closing
Sell food and non-alcoholic drinks and provide free water

Issue

Stadium owners and other event organizers oppose bans or restrictions on the sale of alcohol for fear that such restrictions would reduce participation in events or reduce profits because revenue from alcohol sales would be eliminated.

Strategy

Provide event organizers with data to support restricted alcohol usage. For example, a national survey of adults showed that over 80% of respondents were in favor of alcohol restrictions at concerts and stadiums . Although some events may draw smaller crowds as a result of alcohol bans or restrictions, many events would not likely lose a significant number of participants, and may even be a selling point for other patrons. Events with alcohol bans or restrictions could draw more families and other patrons who want to enjoy an event that is safe and free from alcohol-related problems.

For additional strategies and approaches for changing policies, see the following:

What You Can Do: Community
What You Can Do: Parents
What You Can Do: Agencies
What You Can Do: Schools

References:
Underage Drinking Prevention Action Guide and Planner. 2001. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Available at: http://media.shs.net/prevline/pdfs/phd858.pdf#search=%22underage%20drinking%20prevention%20action%20guide%20and%20planner%22. Accessed on [08/25/06]

L Underage Drinking in California: California Town Hall Meetings. Community Prevention Institute. March, 2006. Available at: http://www.adp.cahwnet.gov/Prevention/townhall/pdf/CA%20Underage%20Drinking%20Survey%20Data%20Report.pdf. Accessed on [08/25/06]

Johnston LD, O'Malley PM, Bachman JG, and Schulenberg JE. 2006. Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2005. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Bonnie, R.J. & M.E. O’Connell (eds). 2003. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.

A Guide to Zero Tolerance and Graduated Licensing: Two Strategies that Work. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Available at: http://www.udetc.org/documents/Guide2zero.pdf#search=%22a%20guide%20to%20zero%20tolerance%20and%20graduated%20licensing%22. Accessed on [09/06/06]

Drinking in America: Myths, Realities, and Prevention Policy. U.S. Dept. of Justice. Available at: http://www.udetc.org/documents/Drinking_in_America.pdf. Accessed on [09/05/06]

The Relationship Between Alcohol Availability and Injury and Crime. Available at: http://www.alcoholpolicymd.com/alcohol_and_health/alc_availability.htm. Accessed on [01/09/06]

Alcohol Restrictions at Community Events. Alcohol Epidemiology Program. University of Minnesota. Available at: http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/policy/atevents.shtm. Accessed on [08/29/06]

Wagenaar AC, Harwood EM, Toomey TL, Denk CE, Zander KM. 2000. Public opinion on alcohol policies in the United States: Results from a national survey. Journal of Public Health Policy, 21(3):303-27.

Highlight on Underage Drinking. Alcohol Policy Information System. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Available at: http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BDA5E054D-FB8E-4F06-BBBC-6EED9F37A758%7D. Accessed on [09/08/06]

Underage Drinking Prevention Action Guide and Planner. 2001. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Available at: http://media.shs.net/prevline/pdfs/phd858.pdf#search=%22underage%20drinking%20prevention%20action%20guide%20and%20planner%22. Accessed on [08/25/06]

Alcohol Home Delivery Restrictions. Alcohol Epidemiology Program. University of Minnesota. Available at: http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/policy/homdeliv.shtm. Accessed on [09/01/06]

Johnson, K.D. Underage Drinking: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Problem-Specific Guides Services. U.S. Dept. of Justice. Available at: http://www.popcenter.org/problems/PDFs/underage.pdf#search=%22statistics%20on%20alcohol%20free%20events%20and%20underage%20drinking%22. Accessed on [09/01/06]

Alcohol Epidemiology Program. Alcohol compliance checks: A procedures
manual for enforcing alcohol age-of-sale laws. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2000.

Shoulder Tap Program. 2003. Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. Available at: http://www.abc.ca.gov/programs/Shoulder_tap.html. Accessed on [09/06/06]

A Practical Guide to Preventing and Dispersing Underage Drinking Parties. 2005. Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation: Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center.