RSA Course Online

Tag: responsible service of alcohol course

  • Crystal Head Vodka takes Top Australian Award

    Crystal Head Vodka, the quadruple distilled and triple filtered vodka has been awarded the top award in the 2012 Australian Liquor Industry Awards.

    Actor Dan Akroyd, is the founder of the popular vodka which took 2 awards at this year’s ceremony, held in Luna Park.  The vodka has grown in popularity since its release and in fact is one of the growing ultra-premium vodka brands on the market. The vodka is made by filtering it through Herkimer diamond crystals and presented in a glass skull. It is made from water sourced from a glacier lake in Newfoundland, Canada and it sugar, glycerine and citrus oil free.

    The crystal skull vodka doesn’t come cheap, but it you can’t tell a cheap vodka from a premium one, there are a few points you should learn. Vodka is a good liquor to drink because it does not cause a hangover as severe as a darker liquor would. Also because it is fairly tasteless, it’s excellent with mixers and cocktails, because it lends itself well to the other flavours and doesn’t over power the drink although most vodka lovers in the Eastern Europe region prefer it neat.

    Choosing a vodka may be confusing, should you choose a triple distilled, double distilled, what does that even mean?

    Well according to vodka experts, triple distilled vodkas are the best and the most expensive because it goes through the process of distilling 3 times. Distillation is the process of heating a liquid that has alcohol in it to the point that the alcohol (which boils at a lower temperature than water) evaporates and is captured before it condenses back into the liquid from which it came. Second and third distillations heat the captured alcohol under narrower and narrower heat ranges so that only the alcohol remains. Many impurities are removed by this process and the result is much smoother liquor and a much higher alcohol content.

    There are a number of ways to choose a vodka, based on various criteria,

    Price. Selecting a vodka based on price will ensure you get a drink that suits your pocket. If you have deeper pockets it will ensure you get a good quality liquor. For a party you may want to opt for a mid-range vodka.

    Region. The majority of vodkas come from Russia, Poland and other Eastern European countries but nowadays there are good vodkas coming from all over the world. If you want a traditional vodka, Russia, Poland and Eastern Europe are the best, their vodkas are usually only distilled once.

    Alcohol content. This can range from 30 per cent to 60 per cent but most are around 40 per cent alcohol.

    Ingredients. Cheap vodka is made with cheap ingredients like sorgum or corn. Premium vodkas are made from a single ingredient such as wheat or potatoes.

    Flavour. Nowadays vodkas come in a variety of flavours and infusions. These are a good way to may speciality cocktails.

    The best thing about vodka is that there is a brand for everybody. If you can’t afford the Crystal Skulls varities, there’s always something a bit more in your price range.

  • Recognising the Symptoms of a Hangover

    Everyone who has over indulged knows the feeling of dizziness, thirst and headaches experienced the next day. Although hangovers are common in the morning they can occur at any time of the day or night. Depression is also a sign of a hangover, even though most people think it is just related to the physical feeling of sickness that they feel depressed but alcohol is a stimulant and as the person comes down off the stimulant they begin to feel depressed.

    How bad the hangover is and how long it lasts is related to how much alcohol is consumed and whether the person has had enough water and rest. Dehydration, caused by the alcohol, can make the effects of the hangover even worse.

     

    Normally the hangover will subside within 24 hours but this is not always the case.

     

    Symptoms are not pleasant and include unquenchable thirst, headache, bloodshot eyes and even nausea. In some cases people suffering from a hangover can include anxiety, aching muscles, diarrhoea, dizziness and an accelerated heart rate. Vomiting is a common hangover effect and can last several hours.

    Hangovers are definitely something you want to avoid. The only way to do this for sure is to drink responsibly and in moderation to save yourself from the unnecessary, self-induced sickness of a hangover.

     

  • Recognising a Problem Drinker

    Alcohol servers as well as everyday people should be able to recognise the signs of a problem drinker. If you are a bartender or waiter you want to be able to tell if a person has a problem and if you notice these signs in a friend or family member, you should take action for their wellbeing.

    These are a few of the alarm bells:

    1. They only visit places, people and events where they know there will be alcohol.
    2. They suffer from withdrawal when they don’t have a drink for a few hours. Withdrawal symptoms include sweating, rapid heartbeat, anxiety and shakes.
    3. The person’s tolerance to alcohol increases meaning they need to intake more alcohol to get drunk as compared to others.
    4. The person craves alcohol and cannot rest until the craving is fulfilled.
    5. Family and friends will recognise the symptom that they often make promises they don’t keep and miss special occasions and dates, uncharacteristically. They also lie quite a lot.

    Moderate drinking is the only acceptable form, if a person finds themselves craving alcohol more than normal, they should consider a period of abstinence rather than risk developing an addiction that has the potential to destroy lives, relationships and a person’s health and may even result in death.

  • Article Posts for Week Ending October 26,2012

    Here is a list of the articles posted on our blog this last week:

    Danger of Mixing Alcohol and Minors

    Is There Any Danger Involved in Mixing Energy Drinks and Alcohol

    How to identify alcohol abuse in Teens

    Binge Drinking Linked to Alcohol Abuse

    Is Liquid Nitrogen Really Dangerous?

    Possible Solutions to Alcohol Fuelled Problems

     

  • Possible Solutions to Alcohol Fuelled Problems

    A number of suburbs around Australia are battling to find ways to combat alcohol fuelled violence and crimes that are causing major distress to residents. One such suburb is Scarborough, the beach front suburb which has been hit by a number of alcohol related incidents recently with drunken thugs taking over the area. Residents of the suburb are now fighting back and I it works this may be a solution that other suburbs could also implement to obtain similar results.

    One of the demands of the residents is that police enforce the law by confiscating alcohol from those consuming it on the beach and surrounding area. One of the other suggestions was setting up a police post on the beach during the holiday season. Residents have been attacked with bottles, assaulted and robbed and have had enough and are calling on authorities to act and help them take back their community.

    Perhaps more police patrolling the area will make a difference as an increase in police presence has been effective in other parts of the country in reducing alcohol fuelled violence.

    Alcohol retailers, pubs and bars in the area also have a role to play in ensuring that they supply alcohol in a responsible manner, this involves not providing alcohol to intoxicated patrons or underage minors.

     

  • Is Liquid Nitrogen Really Dangerous?

    Although liquid nitrogen has been identified by authorities as harmful, people in the industry disagree which led me to wonder if liquid nitrogen is a dangerous as they say or if it’s just been given a bad rap?

     

    Liquid nitrogen cocktails have become popular because they bubble and let out smoke, which adds a “wow” factor to cocktails. The use of liquid nitrogen has become extremely controversial since the incident which left a British teen in a critical condition in hospital.

    It seems the problematic issue with liquid nitrogen is that its use is not regulated which means that even inexperienced bartenders are able to use this potentially lethal ingredient in their concoctions. When used safely by well-trained bartenders, liquid nitrogen is not dangerous, but for patrons how can we tell the difference?

    The danger involved with liquid nitrogen use is that it expands more than 600 times its volume when it changes from a liquid to a gas, which can cause serious damage to the human body if this change were to take place within it (this is what happened to the girl in The UK). So basically if the liquid enters the human stomach and turns into a gas, it can explode.

     

    Although authorities are likely to ban the use of liquid nitrogen if you do decide to try a cocktail made with liquid nitrogen, do not drink it until the nitrogen has evaporated. Be careful because nitrogen has no colour or taste, so it may be difficult to detect.

  • British Holidaymakers Indulge More when on Holiday Compared to Other Nationalities

    According to a recent survey holidaymakers from the UK drink more when on holiday than they do when at home, playing into the stereotype that Britons love to drink. The survey found that almost 60 per cent of travellers from Britain claimed that they drink more when away on a holiday than they do at home. Some even admitted to guzzling about 5 more drinks daily than they normally world. Typically Italian people tend to control their drinking more when travelling than other nationalities do but admit to overeating.
     

    This post published in The Dailymail.co.uk details the survey’s findings:
     

    Break for booze: Almost two thirds of Britons said they drank more while away on holiday

     


     

    The TripAdvisor poll showed that Britons drink more on average while away than the French, Spanish, Italian and Germans, with only a quarter of Italians drinking more on holiday than they would at home.

     

    Based on responses from more than 2,500 British travellers, the survey also revealed that 58 per cent of Britons admitted overindulging in food while on a trip.
     

    Italians – comparatively restrained in their alcoholic intake – were the champion eaters on holiday, with 68% of them admitting to overindulging.
     

    Possibly due to their eating and drinking habits, as many as 34% of Britons claimed they did not feel refreshed or re-energised following a holiday, with 11% feeling less healthy and more tired after a break.
     

    TripAdvisor spokeswoman Emma Shaw said: ‘Leading busy, stressful lives often means that a holiday is the only time Brits can really let loose and relax.
     

    ‘While recharging the batteries is a great idea, British holidaymakers need to be careful that they don’t always need another holiday to recover from the excesses of the last one.’
     

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2202481/Sixty-cent-Britons-admit-drinking-alcohol-holiday.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
     

    The idea that British people return from holiday more exhausted than when they left is interesting because it’s something Australians can also learn from. While the entire premise of a holiday is to relax and rewind, recharging ones battery depends on getting sufficient rest and sleep, something most holidaymakers miss. Especially when they choose to drink more than they are used to, it is no doubt they suffer frequent hangovers and return from holiday worse than when they left.
     

    The other risk of over-indulging is that you are in a foreign and unknown place which can be extremely risky. Holidaymakers should make sure they know the surroundings before they overindulge and make sure they have safe transport home or back to the hotel.
     

    Also tourists can be easy targets for criminals in many holiday destinations and even more so when they are not of a sober mind. There is more opportunity to be robbed, your drinks spiked and maybe worse when you are overly intoxicated. The side effects of drinking too much may also make you vulnerable when on holiday. Think of the dangers of passing out in a foreign place or to wake up next to a stranger or worse?  So maybe next time you go on holiday you would think twice before going on a drinking spree.
     

  • Drinking Myths Debunked

    While drinking is a way of loosening up and chilling out after a long day’s work, there are some myths about alcohol that people tend to believe as true.
     

    Part of drinking is doing so responsibly and by knowing the effects of alcohol and drinking within the limits you can avoid many of the nasty consequences that over indulging can cause.
     

    • Getting drunk will cheer me up

     

    While drinking is a way of relaxing, it numbs your senses and helps you forget about your problems. However once you are sober again the problems are still there and over indulging in the long run may cause you to become more depressed. Developing an alcohol addiction can cause even more problems such as illnesses and financial problems.
     

    • Drinking coffee will sober me up

     

    Because the caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, you might feel more alert but it does not make you sober. Your blood alcohol level will remain the same.
     

    • I’ll be fine in the morning

     

    Your liver takes about an hour to process one unit of alcohol, regardless of whether you sleep or not.Therefore you can still be over the legal drink-driving limit the next morning.
     

    • I’ll be fine if I drink plenty of water before I go to bed

    Drinking water can reduce the painful symptoms of a hangover by preventing dehydration but you will still be drunk and the harmful effects on your organs will be the same.
     

  • How to Identify an Intoxicated Patron

    As a server of alcohol, part of your job is identifying customers who have had too much to drink and to whom service should be refused. For some patrons, it’s easy to spot, while others may be better at masking the true level of their intoxication. As you gain more experience in the industry it will become easier to spot those people, however RSA training will help.

     

    As a rule a person’s body can usually only process one unit of alcohol per hour. So during quieter times it will be easier to spot a person who is drinking more than they should. Generally because body mass affects the process of intoxication, a larger person will take longer to get drunk than a smaller person. However during busy times such as “happy hours” when you cannot keep track of drinkers and the amount of alcohol they are consuming this will be harder to notice. Often the same person may continuously approach the bar, especially when buying in rounds.

     

    Thankfully, intoxication presents itself in a number of visible ways. Everyone, even those not trained in Responsible Service of Alcohol can tell the most common symptoms. These includes slurred speech, swaying and bumping into things, inability to walk, rowdiness, anger, aggression even violence.  In a crowded and noisy bar, however, these could be difficult to notice. Something else to take note of would be a previously timid patron who becomes aggressive, a social person who becomes withdrawn or a quiet person who becomes overtly friendly.

     

    Steps you can follow:

     

    1.       Watch if a person becomes more confident with less inhibition.

     

    If the customer becomes more sociable, talkative and outgoing, beginning to lose some control of knowing how far they can go in a social setting, they are demonstrating the first signs of intoxication. Some of the behavioural indicators include louder speech that normal, mood swings and aggression.

     

    2.       Person begins to demonstrate poor judgement.

     

    As they become increasingly intoxicated the person will begin to show poor judgement. Inappropriate behaviour will be the next display, often not in line with the persons normal behaviour, such as the use of foul language, inappropriate jokes, overly flirtatious behaviour etc. Also as the person becomes more intoxicated instead of cutting down on drinking they usually increase their drinking and participate in drinking games, drinking beyond their capacity.

     

    3.       Stop the person from drinking anymore

     

    As soon as you identify signs of intoxication and physical impairment, don’t serve them anymore and make sure no one else does either. Cut off the source of the alcohol.  Some beginning signs of physical impairment are reactions like glassy, unfocused eyes; slurred speech; or forgetting thoughts in mid-sentence. Talking slowly or moving slowly or in a strange manner. At this stage the person will find it difficult to concentrate, walk a straight line or make coherent sentences.

     

     

     4.       Do not leave the intoxicated person alone

    If a person shows a loss of motor control or function, or poor coordination, they must not be left alone and they could become a danger to themselves or others. Stumbling or swaying, having difficulty with depth perception and dropping things repeatedly or having difficulty picking them up are signs that the person has progressed to this level.

    5.       Don’t ignore people who are not displaying the physical signs but are over the legal limit

     

    It is possible for people to develop a tolerance for alcohol, but that does mean that they are not legally intoxicated. It just means that visual recognition is more difficult. There are things to look for that will help. Look for a heavy smell of alcohol on a person’s breath or if they are sweating profusely when they probably should not be. Redness in the body’s extremities can also be a sign that a person should not be served or red eyes.

     

    Remember as a Server of Alcohol you have a responsibility to yourself, your customers and society to serve in the most responsible manner. Your actions have consequences that reach much further than yourself or your customer but may have serious ramifications on the community and society in general.

     

    Posted by Peter Cutforth