alcoHELP trustee speaks out on NekNominate

11 February 2014

Terry Martin, Trustee of alcoHELP has spoken out against the drinking game NekNominate, following the death of a former Essex schoolboy.

Isaac Richardson, 20, previously attended Colchester Royal Grammar School, and died after consuming a cocktail of wines and spirits in the NekNominate drinking game.

Terry Martin said: “This craze can result in acute alcoholic poisoning and can be fatal- as highlighted by the recent death of Isaac Richardson. Alcoholic poisoning results from rapid drinking, and this then raises the blood alcohol level so high that mental and physical functions can stop. Breathlessness, choking and erratic heart rhythms can result, quickly followed by loss of consciousness, coma and even death. In most cases alcoholic poisoning will result in the brain being permanently damaged.

“With these avoidable deaths surely it is time that that the government, and retail outlets that sell alcohol at low prices, acknowledged the fact that alcohol is a powerful, highly addictive drug that kills five times more people than all other illegal drugs combined. Just because it is legal does not mean it is harmless. Foolhardy crazes such as NekNomination will pass but it usually takes the loss of a life , before this happens.”

Click here to read the story on the East Anglian Daily Times website.