Getting a tattoo while under the influence of booze is considered to be a bit of a joke. A guy on his stag do staggers into a tattoo studio and gets an inappropriate tattoo of something embarrassing, and all because his mates dared him to do it. Now, that might be funny to some people, but how does inking a drunk customer reflect on your business, and is it even legal?
With that sobering thought in mind, in this article, we discuss the thorny subject of whether it's ethical or legal to tattoo a customer who is clearly under the influence.
Well, in the UK and Australia, there are no laws that prohibit tattoo studios from working on inebriated customers. In theory, as long as the customer is over 18 years of age, you can legally give them a tattoo. Elsewhere in Europe, it is legal for kids of 16 to get tattoos, as long as they have their parents’ consent.
However, in the US, the law on who you can tattoo and who you can’t varies from state to state, so it’s advisable to check before you reach for your tattoo guns. Also, it should be noted that health professionals recommend that someone should not consume any alcohol for 24 hours prior to getting a tattoo.
If someone visits your studio to discuss the tattoo they want and then turns up drunk for their appointment, you should tactfully decline to carry out the work and suggest that the client makes another appointment.
People who genuinely want a tattoo will return to have the work done at a later date, hopefully when they are sober. The same principle applies to other work that you may offer in your studio, such as titanium body piercings.
Someone who receives a tattoo while they’re drunk is not going to recommend that people visit your studio. And it’s highly unlikely that they will come back to you in the future. You should also be wary of damage to your reputation, especially if, in the cold light of sobriety, the drunk person is not happy with the tattoo you gave them.
Most people who go to a tattoo studio while under the influence of alcohol are good-natured and unlikely to become aggressive if you refuse to give them a tattoo. Humour them and have a chat about the kind of tattoo they would like and why they’re choosing that particular design.
Then move on to point out the reasons why they should wait to get the tattoo done, take time to think about the potential ramifications of the tattoo, and the effect it could have on their loved ones, work colleagues, and even their boss, depending on the type of work they do.
Of course, there are other reasons why a drunk person should not get a tattoo, and these should be pointed out to the customer.
First of all, alcohol is a blood thinner; the degree of the thinning effect varies, depending on how much alcohol someone has consumed. However, even small amounts of booze can be all it takes to change someone’s blood consistency.
The thinner the blood, the more likely it is that it will leak out of the minute puncture wounds made by the tattoo needles. Excess blood pools over the skin, making it much more difficult for you to accurately create the tattoo. Also, if you're relatively inexperienced, you might struggle to tattoo through the excess blood over the area properly. That could result in a tattoo of lesser quality compared to your usual work.
Ordinarily, a tattoo site will continue to ooze blood and plasma for up to 48 hours after a tattoo. But, because of the blood-thinning effects of alcohol, healing may take longer, and that could leave the customer at risk of developing an infection around the tattoo site.
When the blood is thinner, it will be circulated around the body faster. So, the area being tattooed may contain excess blood. That can cause the blood to mix with the ink, diluting the colour and resulting in your tattoo looking washed out and faded, no matter how good the quality of your inks and other tattoo supplies.
After the tattooing process has been completed, the area may bleed heavily and continuously, potentially flushing away recently tattooed ink. That could leave the tattoo looking faded and patchy once the area has healed.
Having a tattoo can be painful, and it’s not uncommon for a customer to want a little bit of Dutch courage before they attend their appointment.
However, if someone is drunk, they’re more likely to fidget while you’re working, and that will make life very difficult for you. The result could be a tattoo that’s not up to your usual standard and may result in a complaint when the client sobers up and sees the work, potentially leaving your good reputation in tatters.
Also, in response to pain, a drunk person may try to grab your tattoo gun, potentially causing injury to themselves or damaging your equipment.
If you suspect that a customer is drunk, you should immediately refuse to tattoo them.
Note that the customer cannot legally sign the liability waiver or consent form if they are drunk, because they are considered to be incapable of making a rational decision while they are intoxicated. So, you could leave your studio wide open to legal action if you go ahead and tattoo a drunk person, even though they signed your consent form.
Although it’s not illegal to give a drunk person a tattoo, it’s definitely not recommended.
As a professional tattoo artist, your reputation is as important as the work you do for your customers. Tattooing a person while they are intoxicated leaves you wide open to complaints after the fact, and that’s not worth the risk to either their health or your credibility.
