Man Downs Litre Of Vodka In 60 Seconds In 'Life Threatening' Iron Liver Challenge

'No one should take this risk for a few likes on social media.'

The "litre challenge", where people drink a litre of alcohol as fast as they can, is nothing new. But one man has upped the stakes to an even more dangerous level.

Body piercer Andi Doherty, who goes by the name of Skat Dagger on social media, has filmed himself drinking an entire litre of vodka in less than a minute.

The 29-year-old is calling the stunt the 'Iron Liver Challenge'.

While Doherty has reportedly said he doesn't want others to copy him and complete the "challenge" for themselves, he has called on the public to suggest other types of alcohol for him to down.

In another video on his YouTube channel, Doherty can be seen drinking a 70cl bottle of whisky in 60 seconds while his friend drinks a bottle of vodka.

Health experts have warned the public not to mimic Doherty's behaviour, saying this level of drinking is potentially "life threatening".

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Andi Doherty / SWNS

Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, told The Huffington Post UK Doherty is taking part in "a very dangerous so-called challenge".

"People need to remember that alcohol is a toxin and can have life threatening and immediate effects if consumed in a large amount at once," she said.

"These challenges and fads show just how hard we have to work to warn people of the dangers of binge drinking. 

"Alcohol poisoning is not a joke, and no-one should feel they need to court popularity by taking silly risks." 

Elaine Hindal, chief executive at alcohol education charity Drinkaware, added that young people in particular feel peer pressure to drink to fit in and therefore online challenges to drink excessively in a short space of time can be dangerous.

"Your body can only process one unit of alcohol an hour, and less in some people," she said.

"Drink a lot in a short space of time and the amount of alcohol in the blood can stop the body from working properly.

"Aside from the risk of accident or injury as a result of drinking to excess, there is another aspect to these online drinking games which is the 'cybershame' some young people may experience.

"Our research shows nearly half (47%) of 18-24 year olds admitted un-tagging drunk photos of themselves that they didn’t want others to see.  However there is still a chance that these photos may be seen by universities and prospective employers."

The bottle of vodka Doherty is shown drinking in the video could contain around 40 units of alcohol. 

Hindal pointed out that the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) advises that people are safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week.  

"If people do choose to drink as much as 14 units, it is best to spread them evenly over three days or more," she said.

Dr Helen Webberley, the dedicated GP for oxfordonlinepharmacy.co.uk said she's "shocked and appalled" by the Iron Liver Challenge. 

"The current 'binge drinking' culture is already bad enough with people downing bottles of wine before they start their night out, without now daring each other to do the same with spirits, which can be very strong," she said.

"This is very dangerous for acute liver toxicity and alcohol poisoning, and then there is the worry of long-term liver damage.

"Acute alcoholic hepatitis can be very nasty and fatal, and long-term complications of alcohol abuse can be irreversible and ultimately result in a painful death. No one should take this risk for a few likes on social media."