"0200 Drunk Phone Call" Situational Question Guide, Framework, & Examples

Situational questions are a big part of boards, so make sure you have them down solid.

Here is your question.

“You receive a phone call at 0200 on Saturday morning. It is one of your Soldiers who says that he has been out drinking and needs a ride home. How do you respond?”

Now, let’s talk through how to answer this question using a 3 step proven method. This approach shows board members that you know how to think like a leader. The format is:

Step 1: Take care of the Soldier.

Step 2: Handle it at the lowest level possible.

Step 3: Use Army programs when applicable.

First, take care of the Soldier. If a Soldier is drunk and calling for a ride at two in the morning, that tells you two things: one, they knew better than to drive, and two, they trust you enough to call. That’s a win already. Your priority right now is making sure that Soldier doesn’t try to drive or end up in a bad situation. Ask them where they are. Get enough details to ensure you can get them somewhere safe. If you're in a position to go get them, do so. If you're unable to—say you’re on medication, watching your kids, or drinking yourself—then coordinate with a trusted team member to safely pick the Soldier up, call an Uber, or find another accommodation that keeps the soldier safe. Make sure they get home safely or somewhere they can stay the night.

Second, handle it at the lowest level possible. You don't need to call your platoon sergeant or the commander unless there’s already been an incident. This didn’t end in a DUI or arrest—it ended in a Soldier asking for help. That means this can be handled between you and the Soldier. Let them sleep it off, and then follow up the next day. Talk to them about the situation. Counsel them about judgment, alcohol use, and responsibility. If they’re underage, you’re going to need to dig deeper and potentially bring it up the chain, but your job is to lead this Soldier, not destroy their career over a mistake they asked for help with. Holding them accountable and coaching them through it are not opposites—they go hand in hand.

Third, use Army programs when applicable. If this is a one-time incident, a formal referral to ASAP may not be required. But if it’s part of a pattern, or the Soldier self-admits they have a problem, you should recommend or refer them to the Army Substance Abuse Program per AR 600-85. Behavioral Health or the Chaplain may also be appropriate if the alcohol use is tied to personal stressors or mental health. You’re not just solving this moment—you’re building a stronger Soldier.

Now let me give you a word-for-word example answer you can say at the board:

“If I received a phone call at 0200 from one of my Soldiers who had been drinking and needed a ride home, my first priority would be to make sure they’re safe. I would ask where they are and either go get them myself or coordinate with someone sober and trustworthy to pick them up, such as another NCO. Once I confirmed the Soldier was safe, I’d follow up the next day. I would talk to them about their decision-making, counsel them on alcohol use, and reinforce the importance of responsibility and accountability. I would handle the issue at my level through corrective counseling and mentorship, and if the Soldier showed signs of a deeper problem, I would refer them to ASAP or Behavioral Health. My goal would be to correct the behavior, not just punish it, and help the Soldier stay on track.”

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the Board Questions Podcast where you can study for
your board while working, running errands, or chilling
around the barracks. Today's episode is a situational
question episode. Situational questions are a big
part of boards, so make sure youhave them down solid.
Here is your question. You receive a phone call at 0200

(00:22):
on Saturday morning. It is one of your soldiers who
says that he has been out drinking and needs a ride home.
How do you respond? Now let's talk through how to
answer this question using a three-step proven method.
This approach shows board members that you know how to
think like a leader. The format is step one.

(00:44):
Take care of the soldier. Step 2.
Handle it at the lowest level possible.
Step 3. Use Army programs when
applicable. First, take care of the soldier.
If a soldier is drunk and calling for a ride at 2:00 in
the morning, that tells you two things.
One, they knew better than to drive, and two, they trust you

(01:07):
enough to call. That's a win already.
Your priority right now is making sure that soldier doesn't
try to drive or end up in a bad situation.
Ask them where they are. Get enough details to ensure you
can get them somewhere safe. If you're in a position to go
get them, do so. If you're unable to say you're

(01:28):
on medication, watching your kids, or drinking yourself, then
coordinate with a trusted team member to safely pick the
soldier up. Call an Uber or find another
accommodation that keeps the soldier safe.
Make sure they get home safely or somewhere they can stay the
night. Second, handle it at the lowest
level possible. You don't need to call your

(01:49):
platoon Sergeant or the commander unless there's already
been an incident. This didn't end in a DUI or
arrest, it ended in a soldier asking for help.
That means this can be handled between you and the soldier.
Let them sleep it off and then follow up the next day.
Talk to them about the situation.

(02:10):
Counsel them about judgment, alcohol use, and responsibility.
If they're underage, you're going to need to dig deeper and
potentially bring it up the chain.
But your job is to lead the soldier, not destroy their
career over a mistake they askedfor help.
Withholding them accountable andcoaching them through it are not
opposites. They go hand in hand.

(02:31):
Third, use Army programs when applicable.
If this is a one time incident, a formal referral to ASAP may
not be required, but if it's part of a pattern or the
soldiers self admits they have aproblem, you should recommend or
refer them to the Army SubstanceAbuse program per AR 600 to 85.
Behavioral health or the chaplain may also be appropriate

(02:54):
if the alcohol use is tied to personal stressors or mental
health. You're not just solving this
moment, you're building a stronger soldier.
Now let me give you a word for word example answer you can say
at the board. If I received a phone call at
0200 from one of my soldiers whohad been drinking and needed a
ride home, my first priority would be to make sure they're

(03:15):
safe. I would ask where they are and
either go get them myself or coordinate with someone sober
and trustworthy to pick them up,such as another NCO.
Once I confirmed the Soldier wassafe, I'd follow up the next
day. I would talk to them about their
decision making, counsel them onalcohol use, and reinforce the
importance of responsibility andaccountability.

(03:38):
I would handle the issue at my level through corrective
counseling and mentorship, and if the Soldier showed signs of a
deeper problem, I would refer them to ASAP or Behavioral
Health. My goal would be to correct the
behavior, not just punish it, and help the Soldier stay on
track. As you can see, this answer
follows the framework of Take care of the Soldier, Handle it

(04:01):
at the lowest level possible. Utilize Army programs when
applicable. Let's try it again.
This time the soldier answering is going to miss something
important. Let's see what they miss.
You receive a phone call at 0200on Saturday morning.
It is one of your soldiers who says that he has been out

(04:23):
drinking and needs a ride home. How do you respond?
If I got that call, I would makesure the soldier doesn't drive.
I'd ask where they are and tell them to stay put.
I would talk to them the next day about their decision and
counsel them on using better judgement.
I would make sure they understand the risks of alcohol

(04:44):
and how it can affect their career.
And I'd bring it up to my squad leader if I thought it was part
of a larger pattern. This answer is close, but they
missed something. Did you catch it?
They never actually made sure the soldier got home safely.
Saying don't drive isn't the same as going to get them or
sending someone who can. Your job isn't to give

(05:06):
suggestions over the phone at 2:00 in the morning, it's to
act. Making sure the soldier is
physically safe is the first step.
Let's take a look at a correct answer again.
If I received a phone call at 0200 from one of my soldiers who
had been drinking and needed a ride home, my first priority
would be to make sure they're safe.

(05:28):
I would ask where they are and either go get them myself or
coordinate with someone sober and trustworthy to pick them up,
such as another NCO or a taxi. Once I confirmed the Soldier was
safe, I'd follow up the next day.
I would talk to them about theirdecision making, counsel them on
alcohol use, and reinforce the importance of responsibility and

(05:49):
accountability. I would handle the issue at my
level through corrective counseling and mentorship, and
if the Soldier showed signs of adeeper problem, I would refer
them to ASAP or Behavioral Health.
My goal would be to correct the behavior, not just punish it,
and help the Soldier stay on track.
Let's go over it one more time with a slightly different take

(06:09):
that still gets everything right.
If I got a call at 0200 from a soldier who had been drinking
and needed a ride, I would ask where they are and make sure
they don't move. If I was able, I'd go get them
myself. If not, I'd contact someone
sober and responsible to do it. Safety is the priority.

(06:30):
The next day I'd sit down with that soldier.
I'd talk through the situation and write a counseling statement
that covers judgment, alcohol use, and how this reflects on
their professionalism. I'd handle it at my level and
only involve higher if it becamea pattern or showed signs of
abuse. If I believed the soldier had a
deeper issue, I'd refer them to ASAP or behavioral health to get

(06:53):
ahead of the problem. This answer follows the same
three-step structure using good judgment, program knowledge, and
leadership instincts. Thanks for listening to the
Bored Questions podcast. These situational questions can
catch you off guard if you haven't practiced, but with the
right framework, they become your chance to shine as a

(07:14):
leader. Be sure to follow the show and
share it with your battle buddies so they can show up
ready to lead 2.