10 Tips For Being a Responsible Host This Holiday Season
A Message from Canada’s Safety Councils

( Ottawa ) -  The Canada Safety Council, together with the 8 provincial safety councils and leagues across the country, today issued the following 10 tips on how to be a responsible host during this season of celebration and good cheer:

1.       Either don’t drink or limit your own consumption of alcohol so you can be aware of how much your guests are drinking.

2.       Know your guests – it is much easier to track the changes in behaviour of those you know. Inviting strangers increases risk.

3.       Monitor and supervise the serving of alcohol. Designate non-drinkers to do this. A “bartender” should control the size and number of drinks.

4.       Keep the focus off alcohol. Serve lots of food that has protein and fat – salt encourages more drinking and sugar does not mix well with alcohol. Have plenty of non-alcoholic choices. For drinks, offer non-alcoholic choices.

5.       Greet all guests on arrival and departure, taking the opportunity to assess their condition.

6.       If a guest appears to be impaired, encourage him or her to give you their car keys. Buddy up with a friend to persuade the intoxicated person to take a cab.

7.       Keep the phone numbers of cab companies handy and tell the guest that a cab has been ordered. Don’t give the option to refuse.

8.       If the guest is very impaired, keep that person with you until they have sobered or can be left with a sober responsible person.

9.       Only time will sober the person, not more fluids or food. Offering a spare bed is a good recourse.

10.   If the person refuses to hand over the car keys or spend the night at your house, call the police. It may seem drastic, but it could be a choice of an upset friend or far more tragic consequences.

Canadians should also be aware of the various services available to them if they have been drinking at a holiday party:

Operation Red Nose, a volunteer driving service provided during the Christmas Holiday Season to all drivers who have been drinking or who do not feel fit to drive their own vehicle back home, will be available in 8 provinces across Canada ( Alberta , British Columbia , Manitoba , New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Ontario , Prince Edward Island and Quebec ).  For further information on that program, Canadians should visit: www.operationnezrouge.com to find the contact information for their respective jurisdiction.

In addition, 1-888-TAXIGUY/1-888-TAXISVP (in Quebec ) is a service sponsored by Molson Canada that operates in over 700 cities and towns nationwide.  The Canada Safety Council is a proud partner of this program.

On behalf of the Safety Councils and Leagues across Canada , we extend our very best wishes to all Canadians for a safe and happy holiday season!

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