As temperatures are getting warmer and spring break is coming up for schools in Anderson County, it is time once again to talk about social hosting.
Tennessee’s social hosting pertains to serving or providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. Doing so would incur a $1,000 fine as well as criminal misdemeanor charges in court. Mothers Against Drunk Driving Tennessee advocated for an anti-social hosting bill in 2021, citing statistics that over 4,000 teens die from alcohol-related incidents per year across the country.
Social hosting ordinances are laws intended to regulate activities related to providing and/or serving alcohol to other individuals. These ordinances mean that if an individual serves alcohol to someone they can be held criminally or even civilly liable if that person breaks the law. Social Hosting laws across the country are proven ways to effectively reduce underage drinking, according to Prevention.org.
Under this law, adults providing alcohol would face criminal charges but would not be faced with civil lawsuits for damages done by an underage intoxicated person. Tennessee has a separate civil law that pertains to damages caused by intoxicated adults in very specific circumstances.
All in all, the best ways to avoid any issues entirely are to enjoy alcohol responsibly and encourage your friends to do the same. Always have a plan for how to get home so as to avoid driving drunk, even if that plan is as simple as crashing on someone else’s couch! And, lastly, never serve alcohol to someone who’s under the age of 21.
Access resources from our website to learn more about underage alcohol-use prevention.
Read more about social hosting and underage drinking: