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How to Handle a Drunk

Tips on dealing gracefully with inebriated patrons. (AKA, a drunk.)

When the security person arrives, he introduces himself in a friendly manner and invites the guest to join him in a conversation away from the bar area. He'll even ask the guest to bring along a friend (sober friends can help calm down the drunk).

"Once you've removed them from [the bar], once you walk them away, you want to get them out of there," says Barnes. The goal is to escort the guest to his or her room and station a security person outside for a half-hour or so to make sure the person stays put. For guests staying in a villa, Barnes always makes sure that at least two security staffers transport the person, just in case the guest later makes accusations of mistreatment. If the guest is female, Barnes sends along a female security staffer too.

Celebrities pose an added challenge. In such cases, says Barnes, it's best to involve one of the celebrity's friends.

"They'll respond more to the person that's their friend than [to] a manager or security person." For convention guests, he advises contacting the meeting planner to help intervene. "A lot of the time, the guest's job could be on the line," he says.

In a worst-case scenario, in which an inebriated guest has assaulted someone or damaged property, security immediately gets the person out of the area through a back way (a fire exit for example). "You don't want to throw the cuffs on them and arrest them [in the bar area]; you grab them carefully and get them out of sight of the public. Their pride kicks in if it's in public view, and they'll try to fight you," says Barnes. In cases like this, local law enforcement should be summoned.

Barnes says that security at Kiawah intervenes in situations involving drunken patrons perhaps 2 dozen times a year, with just two or three of those incidents resulting in arrest or detainment. Those most likely to be unruly? "Insurance groups and lawyers tend to be the worst," he says.