Babylon Residents: The Cabaret, Dance Hall is a No-Drunks Zone

Don't hit the tap too hard next time your out for a drink in the Town of Babylon, which outlawed intoxication in public, cabarets or dance halls.

The law, passed unanimously at Babylon Town Hall on Thursday, made appearing intoxicated in public a misdemeanor offense throughout the town's borders, which includes parts of Farmingdale. 

Breaking the new law could cost between $250 and $1,000, or up to 90 days in jail. Fines could reach as high as $5,000 for repeat offenders.

"We want to be able to send a message that we're serious, not only about drugs but about alcohol, too, for both the people drinking and those around them," Town Supervisor Richard Schaffer told Newsday. "I've personally seen the damage it does to families because I've had alcoholism in my family."

The new law joins open-container and consumption laws that have already been in effect. Those laws were put in effect in 2010 following multiple calls to the Suffolk County Police Department and the town's 311 phone service that people were openly drinking in front of convenience stores.

The new law sets the blood alcohol content level for "intoxication" at .08 percent – the same state limit for legally driving a car.