Drink responsibly: how to keep game night safe

Last updated: 29 September 2026 · Sources: NIAAA, CDC and NHS (linked below)

Drinking games are supposed to be about the game: the dares, the rules, the laughing. Every game on this site works with sips of any drink, and each one has a No alcohol mode where sips become penalty points. If you do drink alcohol, here is how to keep the night fun for everyone.

Before the first card

  • Only adults of legal drinking age drink alcohol: 21 in the United States, 18 in most other countries.
  • Eat before and during the game, and put water on the table.
  • Agree on sips, not chugging. Our games cap how many sips a single card can ask for (turn on “Go easy” to cap it at 2).
  • Decide how everyone gets home before anyone drinks: a sober driver, a taxi or a rideshare. Never drink and drive.
  • Anyone can play with soda, juice, a mocktail or water. Nobody has to say why.

During the game

  • Alternate with water. Our decks include water-break cards on purpose.
  • Know what’s in the glass. In the US, one standard drink is about 14 grams of pure alcohol: 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine or 1.5 oz of 40% spirits. A strong craft beer can be two.
  • Skip any card. No rule in any game here is worth someone feeling unwell or uncomfortable.
  • Look out for each other, and stop the game for anyone who has had enough.

How much is too much?

The CDC notes that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest adults who drink limit it to two drinks or fewer in a day for men and one drink or fewer for women, and that not drinking is always a valid choice (CDC: moderate alcohol use). People who are pregnant, under 21, taking medicines that interact with alcohol or in recovery shouldn’t drink at all.

NIAAA defines binge drinking as drinking that brings blood alcohol to 0.08% or higher, which for most adults means about five drinks for men or four for women in roughly two hours. Drinking games make that easy to reach without noticing, which is exactly why ours use sips.

Signs of an alcohol overdose

Call emergency services straight away (911 in the US, 999 in the UK, 112 in the EU) if someone shows any of these signs. Don’t wait for all of them.

  • Confusion or stupor; difficulty staying conscious, or can’t be woken
  • Vomiting, or seizures
  • Slow breathing (fewer than 8 breaths a minute) or irregular breathing
  • Slow heart rate, clammy skin, no gag reflex
  • Very low body temperature, bluish or pale skin

While you wait for help: don’t leave the person alone, keep them sitting up if they’re awake, have them lean forward if they’re vomiting, and if they’re unconscious roll them onto their side so they can’t choke. Cold showers, coffee and walking it off don’t work, and they shouldn’t be left to “sleep it off” (NIAAA: dangers of alcohol overdose; NHS: alcohol poisoning).

Need to talk to someone?

In the US, the free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357, open 24 hours a day. In the UK, see the NHS page on alcohol units and advice.

Games that don’t need alcohol at all

Switch any game to No alcohol in its settings, or try the ones that are fun without it: Truth or Drink (answer honestly instead), Spin the Bottle and the Party Deck.