Who ’ s responsible for stopping dangerous drinking ? The Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control ( DLC ) believes everyone should take responsibility for preventing intoxication .

BY KYLE SWARTZ

That ’ s the key message behind their latest responsible-consumption campaign . The multilevel “ I Take it Personally ” program asks all people — servers , bar staff and customers out for a drink — to take responsibility for their guests , themselves and their friends .

Launched over the summer , the program includes 40 ads on buses that will run 12 weeks ( July though September ) and 10 bus shelters for four weeks ( in September ) in the county ’ s three community college campuses .

The DLC also held a press conference with the local police department , posted the ads via social media and its website , and distributed bottle openers to bars with messaging that reads , “ Please Serve Responsibly # ItakeItPersonally .”

The department worked with Dryver and Lyft to provide safe rides for consumers at a reduced cost . Overall the program is a continuation of a winter-holiday safe ride campaign with partners including the two ride services , local police , Jack Daniel ’ s and Breakthru Beverage . “ We ’ re still barely scratching the surface of this program ,” says Kathie Durbin , DLC chief , licensure , regulation & education . “ We ’ ll seek grant funding . But I ’ m a firm believer that if you want something , you should create it and go for it . We like to say here that we ’ re always shovel-ready .”

The idea for “ I Take it Personally ” first came about when Durbin and her team wanted to approach drunk driving and over-serving at their roots .

“ We started thinking , ‘ Who ’ s responsible here ?’” she says . “‘ Where do these issues start ? Do they start with the bartenders ? The customers ?’ So we began talking about the different scenarios that could lead to drunk driving .”

Servers and bartenders must take responsibility for their customers . Durbin herself worked for many years in bars before becoming a regulator and was familiar with the signs of intoxication .

“ Back in the day we would watch how customers smoked cigarettes ,” she recalls . “ If they were putting them out on the bar , or lighting one when they already had one lit , then we knew . These days , it ’ s a bit more difficult to tell . People are drinking younger , and they ’ re drinking higher ABV .”

The fight against customer intoxication has become more proactive . In “ I Take it Personally ” and other programs , the DLC stresses safe policies like standard pour sizes . For instance , high-ABV drinks like

whiskey and heavier beers are best kept to smaller sizes . Another safe practice is creating a menu with foods that can help slow alcohol absorption , such as anything fatty or high in protein .

Instead of specials like “ buy-1- get-1 ” drinks or late-night promotions , businesses should focus on “ selling an experience , not just the drinking ,” Durbin adds . One poster in the program depicts a young bartender alongside the message : “ Hospitality means taking care of my guests and not over-serving .”

Ads for “ I Take it Personally ” communicate that responsibility also resides in customers . Messages include “ Going out with friends means not having to babysit an adult ” and “ Date night means focusing on time together — not getting hammered .”

“ You get a lot of responsibility when you turn 21 ,” Durbin says . “ So what are you going to do to keep yourself and your friends safe ?”

The DLC also reminds parents and teachers the importance of educating youths about these issues . “ There ’ s this whole interplay of responsibility among the community ,” Durbin says . •

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