Section 2.03 of the Alcohol Beverage Code holds that: (a) The liability of providers under this chapter for the actions of their employees, customers, members, or guests who are or become intoxicated is in lieu of common law or other statutory law warranties and duties of providers of alcoholic beverages. (b) This chapter does not impose obligations on a provider of alcoholic beverages other than those expressly stated in this chapter. (c) This chapter provides the exclusive cause of action for providing an alcoholic beverage to a person 18 years of age or older. In a nutshell, this section makes it clear that dram shop lawsuits are the only way for victims of unlawful alcohol service to recover damages for their injuries. This means that when it comes to alcohol-related injuries, this is the only applicable law. It means that gross negligence causes of action, which penalize folks who do something completely insane that shocks the senses, and premises liability claims, do not apply in any case where the over-service of alcohol is alleged. The exclusive remedy provision matters, because the threshold that bars have to meet to avoid being sued is so low. Basically, as long as they don't serve already intoxicated people, they can indirectly cause as much chaos as they like and not face any consequences. In this way, one can see that the Texas Dram Shop Act really was a compromise between those who wanted to have open-season on every kind of misconduct that a bar could engage in when serving alcohol, and bars, who wanted to avoid having any liability for their bad behavior.