Neknomination is a fairly new craze that is sweeping not only the nation, but the world. It supposedly originated in Western Australia, and has spread like wildfire due to the videos of people ‘necking’ a pint being put onto social media websites, with emphasis on Facebook. People who are nominated mix a drink of their choice, often made up of various alcoholic drinks and sometimes even sauces or spices.
Every time I log onto Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, my newsfeeds are filled with people taking part in the neknomination ‘game’, often these are people who I don’t even know, as they have tagged a friend of mine in the video to nominate them, and usually two people are nominated, hence why it is spreading so quickly! Not only are people posting their videos online, but the aftermaths have started appearing now as well…no one wants to see how drunk you are, and certainly not how ill you’ve been as a result of the decision that you made! People are being encouraged to be as stupid as possible, and the drinks have certainly progressed over the last week or so, too.
Drinking a mixed drink and at such a high speed poses health risks, despite the amount of peer pressure that you may be subjected to if you’re nominated, consider how you’re going to feel after you’ve taken part, whilst trying to ‘beat the game’, and your friends for that matter. You could very quickly be faced with issues such as alcohol poisoning, passing out, having a massive hangover, or even choking on your own vomit. Of course, these effects are made even worse if you have underlying health problems that could be affected. Two deaths have been linked with the game, one teen jumped into a river after drinking his pint and later died, whilst another man was found dead in the early hours of the morning after his, both believed to be linked to them taking part in a neknomination.
Not only are there severe risks to health, but consider who can access your viedos that you post online. Future employers are known to do their homework nowadays and a neknomination video isn’t likely to bode well. Online posts will be accessible for all to see, despite your high privacy settings, if someone really wants to see what you're posting, they can probably manage it, which doesn't look good when you're going for a job in a few years or to family members who might use social networking. I can't imagine many parents would feel proud. However, I have seen videos that contradict this point, supposed ‘responsible’ adults and even bar staff willing youngsters on with hideous mixtures of drinks!
However, the game can be taken to a different level. A man in South Africa purchased a sandwich, a drink and some chocolate and took them to a man who was going hungry. He proves that being nominated does not mean that you have to give in to the peer pressure by drinking a pint. If you are nominated, and trust me, it’s getting around fast, then why not do something that is safe and perhaps more charitable? You could even drink a glass of milk instead, which was in another video posted on Facebook as a boy decided that his idea was much safer and more nutritious.
Take the moral high ground! Don't feel bullied into doing anything, you may be judged or mocked briefly for not taking part, but think about who'll be judged in the long run. It probably won't be one of their proudest moments by the time they're throwing up or passed out from drinking so much, so quickly…
Katie Wilson
