A doctor has issued a warning about a social media beer challenge that's doing the rounds at the moment, saying it could be ‘potentially fatal’.
The trend has seen multiple accounts on Instagram promising to drink ‘1 ML of beer for every follower’.
This has led to these posts going viral, with two different accounts getting well over a million views on multiple videos and gaining 10s of 1,000s of videos, with others beginning to crop up and follow suit.
One of these, ‘Joshy’s Goods’, reached 69,000 followers by day three and, whilst he did not drink 69 litres of beer, he did drink a full crate of beer followed by downing an entire litre bottle of Vodka.
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Another social media account run by two friends, Ej Atlas, reached 46,000 followers on Instagram by day six and one half of the duo has thrown up in one of their videos.
Joshy’s Goods' latest video has raised concerns amongst viewers, particularly his downing of a litre of Vodka and subsequent vomiting.
One popular comment on the video read: “When I first followed I thought this was gonna be funny but now it’s just concerning lol it’s not worth it bro.”
Another said: “Bro! It was supposed to be funny. But we honestly dont want to see you dead. Stop it, we still love you!”
Dr Suzanne Wylie, a GP and medical advisor for IQDoctor, has now issued a warning calling for caution around the trend.
She called the trend ‘worrying’, saying to LADbible: “Turning alcohol consumption into a numbers game linked to followers encourages people to drink far beyond safe limits in a very short space of time, often without any regard for their own tolerance or health.
“Alcohol affects everyone differently, and what might look like a small amount per follower can very quickly add up to a dangerous volume, particularly when follower counts can increase rapidly within hours.”
Dr Wylie also pointed to the possible serious consequences of drinking large quantities of booze in a short time, stating it can significantly raise the risk of acute alcohol poisoning.
She added: “This can lead to vomiting, loss of consciousness, dangerously low blood sugar, seizures and suppression of breathing, any of which can be life-threatening.
"Vomiting while intoxicated is especially dangerous, as there is a real risk of choking if someone is drowsy or unconscious.”
Dr Wylie also expressed concern, not just about the risks of the actions in the videos themselves, but about how they ‘normalise binge drinking and extreme behaviour’.
She pointed out that this may pressure young viewers into copying, saying: “Even one episode of heavy binge drinking can trigger heart rhythm disturbances or inflammation of the pancreas, both of which can require emergency hospital treatment.”
Finally, the Doctor said that the ‘key message’ is: “Alcohol is not harmless, and it is certainly not something to be treated as a social media challenge. Drinking should never be competitive, coerced or linked to online validation.
“If someone has consumed a large amount of alcohol, appears confused, cannot stay awake, is vomiting repeatedly or has slow or irregular breathing, that is a medical emergency and urgent help should be sought. Trends like this may generate views, but they carry very real and potentially fatal consequences.”
Joshysgoods sent a statement to LADbible agreeing that 'over consuming large amounts of alcohol is reckless and dangerous'.
He added: "In all of my videos I mention this is one of the dumbest ideas which is 100% true... I don’t recommend copying me, but follow @joshysgoods to follow the journey."
LADbible has contacted both creators and Meta for comment.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Health, Alcohol, Instagram, Viral, Social Media
Michael Slavin