HALIFAX – The latest online craze of neknomination has doctors and police in Nova Scotia sounding the alarm.
Chugging alcohol is not a new concept, but neknomination is a game that combines social media, peer pressure and drinking.
It involves someone being filmed chugging a beer or bottle of hard liquor then nominating people by name to do the same within 24 hours. The videos are posted and shared online.
Kara White, 18, is a first year student at Saint Mary’s University. She heard about the phenomenon about a week ago on Facebook.
“I don’t understand the point of it. It’s just very weird,” she said.
“I had a friend who was like, ‘It’s cool,'” she said, shaking her head.
“Since I heard about, I haven’t stopped hearing about it on Facebook and watching different videos and stuff,” said Patty Burrage, 18.
The game reportedly began in Australia and has since spread around the world, and there are worries the game will get out of hand.
“Maybe a child would see that video and that would change how he thinks, and he would think drinking alcohol that way is OK,” said student Al Hares.
Kelsey MacDonald, 19, has watched videos of people doing risky stunts while drinking.
“It’s getting pretty dangerous,” she said.
She’s also concerned about people pushing their limits when it comes to alcohol.
“It could get out of hand really easily,” she said.
The game is on the radar of the Halifax Regional Police, according to Const. Pierre Bourdages.
While he said it isn’t something police have yet had to respond to, it is something they are concerned about.
“We’re advising people not to take part in these things or any drinking contests,” he said.
“Our liquor enforcement unit is also aware of this neknomination and is keeping an eye on that as well.”
Dr. Connie LeBlanc, an emergency physician at the QEII, characterized the game as horrific.
“When we think about alcohol and especially youth, anything that would incite young people to drink at a rate where they would pass out is bad,” she said.
She is not aware of any hospitalizations in Halifax as a result of the game, but said it can be dangerous and potentially lethal.
“These things with speed-drinking, especially with hard liquor, is really, really bad stuff. Beer guzzling is not quite so bad, but hard liquor guzzling is really dangerous,” she said.
“The dangerous situation is…no one’s watching out for their airway to make sure they don’t stop breathing or vomit and breathe that into their lungs and die.”
Highly intoxicated people are also more at risk for falling, getting into fights and participating in risky behaviour.
Several videos of neknomination found online show people drinking as they skateboard down hills or while holding onto moving vehicles.
The game is reportedly responsible for two deaths in Ireland.
Patrick Bryne, one victim’s brother, posted a public plea on his Facebook page for people to stop neknominating.
“He thought he had to try and beat the competition and after he necked his pint he jumped into the river,” the post said. “If people have any decency and respect they will refrain from any more of this stupid neck nomination s***.”
The game has also spurred a counter-movement called raknomination, representing random acts of kindness.
Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief public health officer, is a proponent of curbing binge drinking among young people.
He said the game is an illustration of the culture of alcohol, not only in Nova Scotia, but in society in general.
“We have a real issue around the culture of over-consumption of alcohol, especially around young people. Many factors leading to that but we certainly need to pay attention to that.
“There’s a real lack of awareness of the potential risks of this behaviour and we need to do a lot of work raising that awareness,” Strang said.
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