The science of Drunk Science (and why I am never making another one)

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That is an exceptionally large amount of alcohol to drink over a 24-hour period, much less a 1-2 hour period. A very, very dangerous amount of alcohol consumption, tot he point of absolutely being deadly. I would think you guys would have, I dunno… had some sort of guidelines set, based on, say, scientific research into the subject of intoxication?

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Drunk History might very well be the pinnacle of television programming, simply for the actor cameos with drunk overdubs. The rest is just bonus points.

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I think Drunk History deals with it by not drinking that much, and spreading it out a bit more. That is a lot of booze!

Other than the first couple drinks, it was actually spread out over several hours. We filmed a couple of hours of footage that this was cut down from. Talking to the producers of Drunk History, it sounds like their people don’t drink significantly less than Charles did, but they do spread it out over a longer period of time. But you’re right, we should have slowed down more and, I also think, we should have done it in a less adrenaline-charged environment (i.e., at Charles’ house on a random Thursday, rather than at a conference where we all happened to be together).

The big reason both Charles and I wanted to post about this was because we realized we went about this in some pretty dumb ways. We should have given more thought to what he was going to drink and when before he started drinking, we should have been more firm about saying “No, you’re drunk now, let it settle”, and we should have had a much calmer atmosphere in which to do this. Instead, we just kind of came at it as “This will be awesome! Lulz!” and we’re very lucky that nothing went seriously wrong.

But I think, and YouTube suggests, that there are lots of people randomly putting together “Drunk Whatever” videos with their friends … and this is all stuff that should be pointed out to them, before they decide to try that.

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May I humbly recommend trying “High Science” next time you are in Colorado. Two bonuses - it is legal here now, and THC has no apparent toxic limit (that can be achieved even through somewhat-reckless imbibing), so the worst that could happen would be some uncomfortable vertigo and awkward floor-sitting.

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Obligatory mention for My Drunk Kitchen.

So now it’s time for Stoned Science.

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my only problem with it was, between the mic level (a drunken operator?) and the slurring, you couldn’t tell what he was saying half the time.

Not a drunken operator. The mic level issue was due to the fact that our external mic broke during the two hours of recording. Just stopped working. We had to record the rest (including what you see here) with just the audio from the video camera. Which, obviously, kind of sucked.

All of the observers/Charles-wranglers/videographers (9 of us) were stone sober during this.

Jesus Christ. I would think the five doubles of Jameson would be more than sufficient on their own.

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All of the observers/Charles-wranglers/videographers (9 of us) were stone sober during this.

Maybe that was the problem.

Because if there is anything YouTube needs right now, it is more videos of drunk people doing silly things.

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Glad you decided not to continue this. I didn’t watch it, and won’t, because drunk anything is a pretty stupid idea. No one should be encouraging consumption of alcohol.

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My Mom used to be a drug and alcohol counselor, and back when the drinking age was 18 did responsible use education at the University of Minnesota. She always told me, and I have always believed, that if someone passes out you should treat that as a medical emergency and take them to the ER. Is this no longer considered true? I am asking out of curiosity, not implied criticism in any way.

As someone who has a large family history of addiction, with alcohol being probably number one, I have mixed feelings about these videos. They are hilarious, but they also glorify binge drinking and … I have problems with that.

I am truly grateful of two things: That I avoided smoking cigarettes, and that I somehow missed the alcoholic/addiction gene that runs so heavily in my family.

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Unless it’s good, craft beer, or really aged, delicious whiskey, right?

How do you determine what is “passed out” or “just sleeping”? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Breathing is key. I just have a few friends who are ridiculously heavy sleepers when sober. Add a few beers and it’s nearly impossible to wake them up. WHEN IN DOUBT, treat it as a medical emergency, though, yes.

I don’t “pass out”. It’s ridiculous. I have gotten to the point where I should have passed out hours ago, but I’m still up and moving around. I don’t even lose that much memory. I just turn into a whiny asshole who pukes a lot but who won’t sit down and who certainly won’t go to sleep.

I find even that questionable. Maybe I should have added the word “excessive” before the word “consumption.” But my personal opinion is that alcohol consumption is perhaps the worst thing to happen to humanity, aside, perhaps, from war. And testosterone. And I do think that the misery, and just plain wasted time, caused by alcohol far outweighs the pleasure afforded when you average this over the population.

Yes, I am a former drinker. I grew up in an alchoholic family, and binge drank on and off for years before I realized that a) I don’t like the feeling I get from alcohol, and b) I don’t have to drink it. I still drink a toast for someone’s birthday once in a while, but I never drink to the point where I can feel the effect on my thinking. I’d much rather smoke a joint. (Full disclosure: Drinking alcohol was almost always an emotional escape/crutch for me, and almost never just for pleasure. Other people do not have this problem.)

That said, I would never ban it, or any drug, actually. But to glorify it, to minimize the risks, as things like Drunk Science do, is just stupid and wrong. IMHO.