‘Neknominate’ extreme online drinking game comes to Canada

Feb 3, 2014 | News

By: Alyssa Capistrano

Neknominate, a new online trend that requires people to chug or ‘neck’ large amounts of alcohol in extreme ways, has made its way into Canada.

Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.

Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.

According to Sergeant Andy Tait, from the Nottawasaga Detachment of the OPP, these habits are not a surprise but immediate action should take place.

“These type of actions are common among teens – underage or not,” says Sergeant Tait. “Whether it’s the police, teachers, parents, health professionals or support groups, we all have to work together. I think a lot of it is education, making the youth aware of the harmful, legal and physiological problems that can arise due to binge drinking in excess amounts. Many may not be aware but drinking is the gateway to introducing these kids into hard and soft drugs.

Neknominating is growing in popularity across the world, and hundreds of people have posted videos on Facebook and Youtube, some with over 100,000 views.

A man drinking beer from a toilet while simultaneously being held upside down, and another man chugging an entire 750 millilitre bottle of vodka, are just some extreme examples of neknominating.

Andrew Tibbetts, a counselor at Humber College says this extreme binge drinking trend is dangerous especially when adolescents are involved.

“Binge drinking can affect your brain’s ability, especially when it becomes a habit,” says Tibbetts. “With teens it’s more so episodic binge drinking than chronic binge drinking, but it is very easy to get it out of hand.”

Tibbetts also adds that college is the time where students are more apt to drink, especially in the environment they are placed in.

“Peer pressure is definitely there – Not only does alcohol do a very good job at making you feel less self conscious and release your inhibitions, but college presents the perfect opportunity for drinking,” says Tibbetts. “Think about it, you’re surrounded by other students and you have less parental guidelines. Especially with living on residence and experimenting, the toxic possibilities are endless.

In Canada, concerns have been expressed about teens posting videos of themselves binge drinking. Some are from New Brunswick, where one teenager posted a video of himself drinking a pint of hard liquor.

There have been 2 reported deaths due to this trend in Ireland this weekend.