title: Identifying drunkenness in the night-time economy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prohibiting the sale of alcohol to intoxicated patrons by licensees and their staff requires definitions of drunkenness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and indicators used in field sobriety tests putatively associated with intoxication. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, SETTING, MATERIAL AND METHODS: A random sample of 314 female and 579 male city centre drinkers. Surveyors scored respondents' and non-respondents' gait, eyes and speech for signs of drunkenness as well as their drunkenness on a 10-point Likert scale. Breath analysis was used to determine respondents' BAC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Combinations of slurred speech, staggering gait and glazed eyes significantly predicted levels of BAC with a staggering gait indicating highest levels of intoxication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjective ratings of drunkenness by trained observers corresponded with BAC. Transition BACs denoting observable behaviour change associated with intoxication have been identified. Observations of gait, combined with assessment of slurred speech should be the basis of estimates of drunkenness.
authors.affiliation: Violence and Society Research Group, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Perham
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Bryany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cusens
mesh_terms: D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D003625:Data Collection; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000431:Ethanol