Instagram Drinking Challenge explained – is it promoting alcoholism?
Instagram’s newest challenge forces you to drink alcohol, and quite a lot of it. But is it just a bit of lighthearted fun or the promotion of excessive binge drinking?
By Elissa Bain
April 14, 2020
With the world stuck in quarantine and looking for new forms of entertainment, Instagram users are coming up with more challenges every day to have some fun and stop some of the lockdown boredom.
The newest challenge that everyone is doing and tagging their friends in is the Instagram Drinking Challenge.
But is it just a bit of lighthearted fun or the promotion of excessive binge drinking?
What is the Instagram Drinking Challenge?
The Drinking Challenge involves ‘downing’ an alcoholic drink, meaning that you have to drink the whole drink in one go without putting it down.
People are filming themselves doing so and then posting it onto Instagram whilst also tagging their friends to complete the challenge.
How do you do the Instagram Drinking Challenge?
Everyone thought they were going to escape this one, hoping and praying that they wouldn’t get tagged by a friend to down a large alcoholic drink. But there’s no escaping this one, and here’s exactly how to do it if you’ve been tagged in the challenge.
- First, find a large glass and fill it with an alcoholic drink. Traditionally people are downing pints of beer, glasses of wine or spirits with mixers, but some people are being really daring and doing straight spirits. At least you get to choose!
- Then, you need to set your camera up to record, or ask someone else to do it for you.
- Film yourself drinking the drink until you’ve finished every last drop.
- Then, tag your friends to do the same!
Should we really be promoting heavy drinking on Instagram?
Many people are choosing to drink a low percentage alcoholic beverage like beer or cider. But others are drinking far stronger drinks and straight spirits. Which makes you wonder, should we be promoting such alcoholism on Instagram?
Alcohol addiction is a very serious illness, and by promoting alcohol challenges on Instagram, binge drinking is regarded as a ‘game’ which can be seen as being very irresponsible.
Especially at a time where the NHS is already under a lot of pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it doesn’t need more people being taken unwell due to excessive drinking.