(Offered once a month on Saturdays at NBS. Open to the public)
In 1982, Dr. Morris Chafetz, founding director of
the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, developed the first TIPS
program. His goal was to create a program that would give bartenders and waiters
the skills and confidence they need to prevent their customers from becoming too
intoxicated.
TIPS for On Premise was born.
The response to TIPS first program was so overwhelming that they very quickly
developed other commercial versions of the program: Off Premise, Concessions and
Social Functions. (The latest commercial program, TIPS for Casinos, was released
in January 1998.) The hospitality industry was so excited about this new approach
to responsible service that TIPS couldn't schedule workshops fast enough.
The feedback from the trainees was overwhelming. They were grateful to finally
have a program that went beyond just telling them the laws and scaring them about
over-serving someone. But they also raised an interesting point. Why did all the
responsibility for preventing intoxication fall on their shoulders? From their
perspective, that responsibility lay just as much with the consumer as it did
with them.
From that feedback emerged the TIPS for consumers programs: University, Parents
and Workplace. While still using the basic format of the original programs, these
versions trained people to intervene with their peers and colleagues who were
consuming alcohol when out in social settings. With the addition of these versions,
TIPS now had a program that approached the problem of intoxication from all sides.
With the format and philosophy of the program well established, TIPS focused their
efforts on building the best quality control in the industry. TIPS started by
creating the most extensive record-keeping system of all server training programs.
The records have been used in courts, by liquor boards and internally by corporate
clients to verify training and certifications. TIPS also developed policies and
procedures, as well as internal checking mechanisms, to ensure consistent, high-quality
training.
These efforts have produced results. The insurance industry grants TIPS certified
clients discounts of up to 25% off of liquor liability premiums. Courts recognize
TIPS as the standard for server training programs. Liquor boards mitigate fines
and penalties for establishments with violations who either use TIPS training
or acquire it after the fact.
In 17 years, TIPS has certified over 25,000 trainers and almost 1,000,000 servers
nationwide. There are TIPS certified people in all 50 states and 22 foreign countries.
All of this has been done with one purpose in mind -- to educate and inform the
public about the responsible use of alcohol.
Get TIPS today!
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