The reports about a South African man who died after allegedly downing a bottle of Jägermeister on Tuesday remain unbelievable to some. The man who is thought to be below 30 years of age and whose name was not identified gulped a whole bottle of Jägermeister in less than two minutes in a binge drinking competition in Limpopo South Africa.
In a video clip that went viral on social media, his fans could be seen in the liquor store cheering him up and clapping as the “boozing star” cleansed his throat with the spirit of Germany. His dream to win the 200 South African Rands (Ksh 1, 374) was cut short when he collapsed after accomplishing the mission, where he was rushed to the hospital only to be pronounced dead.
This incident is similar to that that happened in Kenya last year where a young girl downed a whole 750 ml Bottle of Gilbeys gin in less than two minutes while celebrating her birthday. The girl could be seen unable to support her head nor open her eyes after taking the whole bottle which contains 37.5 percent alcohol by volume.
In a statement, East African Breweries Limited (EABL) which is the local manufacturer of Gilbeys issued a warning on the act, noting binge drinking is dangerous and unsafe.
Just like alcohol manufacturers warn, too much alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. The human body can only process small amounts of alcohol at one time. According to medics, when alcohol is consumed in large amounts in a short period of time can lead to ethanol toxicity which is deadly.
The US Department of Health and Human Services states that large volumes of alcohol in the body can shut down critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature resulting in death. Binge drinking is a threat to human life since it brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 percent or higher. When (BAC) reaches high levels, loss of consciousness and death can occur.
High alcohol volumes can also interrupt brain signals that control automatic responses such as the gag reflex. With no gag reflex, a person may experience a lot of vomiting and may be in danger of choking on his or her vomit and dying from a lack of oxygen.
The BAC continues to rise even when a person stops drinking so it would be wrong to assume an unconscious person will be fine after taking a rest. How your body responds depends on your age, gender, alcohol tolerance, drinking speed, and food is eaten. The effects of too much alcohol consumption may be more severe, especially when taken on an empty stomach.
According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol overdose survivors are likely to battle long-lasting brain damage.