There's a new horrifying drinking game making global headlines that's already taken the lives of several young adults and the dignity of some who survive.
It's called #NekNominate or #NekNominations (hashtag used for social media purposes), and it's an online craze spreading rapidly across countries thanks to Twitter and Facebook.
Here's how it works: kids are nominated by their peers to take video of themselves downing — or "necking"— strong drinks under bizarre or dangerous circumstances before challenging others to film an even more shocking video by the next day.
The Daily Beast reports Nek Nominations is believed to be "behind the deaths of a 22-year-old DJ found dead at his Dublin home last weekend after taking part in drinking games the previous night and of a 19-year-old amateur athlete."
Jonny Byrne, the 19-year-old, died last weekend trying to complete his Nek Nomination dare; downing three different types of spirits and then jumping into a swollen river on the Irish countryside. Byrne drowned. His body was found the next day.
Byrne's father appeared on an Irish late-night talk show to urge young people and their parents to say "no" to Nek Nominations.
As The Daily Beast points out, "the vast majority of the posts on the various pages are, in and of themselves, harmless. They simply show people drinking down cans or pints of beer in one go, often in unusual location such as while skiing or being held upside down."
But even the non-life-threatening dares have consequences.
This past week, 19-year-old Rebecca Dagley stripped down to her underwear in the middle of a crowded supermarket in the U.K., then proceeded to drink a can of Stella Artois.
She is encouraged by her friends — as astonished shoppers look on — shouting "Go on Becca! That's it girl!" as they document the whole thing on their cell phones so they can post it to YouTube.
Here's that video (maybe a little NSFW):
Though the story of Dagley's bizarre contribution to the Nek Nomination game is making the rounds in the U.K. media scene and even in The New York Daily News, the teenager seems unfazed by her choice. She's been retweeting tweets of awe and praise for her work. Most of the tweets are from men:
The Nek Nomination craze is being widely criticized by alcohol awareness groups, as campaigners are fearful that people will try and find even more extreme ways to drink, like "one man who drank a cocktail of cider, eggs, battery fluid and three goldfish,"reports The New York Daily News.