The 12 pubs trend, which sees publicans complete a route of hopping from pub to pub for a drink, has become increasingly popular over the years – but is it worth the risk to your health?

The trend seems to have popped up in Ireland around 10 years ago. The goal is simple - drink 12 pints in 12 pubs over the course of one night.

Some like to make things more interesting by having a set rule for each pub, which can include things like only using one hand to drink.

If a rule is broken, the usual punishment is to take a shot.

This can lead to hugely excessive drinking, and to people becoming a liability to themselves and others.

Preventable

Consultant in emergency medicine Dr Lisa Cunningham told Newstalk Breakfast that accident and emergency rooms are seeing the fallout of the trend.

“It can be a source of frustration for the preventability of it because, you know, the 12 pubs, it is like a tradition now that’s coming, but there’s an onus on the actual person to drink responsibly,” she said.

Dr Cunningham said the trend is encouraging intoxication and alcohol poisoning.

“12 pints is 24 units, that’s beyond your weekly intake over a few hours,” she said.

“So, you’re encouraging people to go out and have, you know, alcohol intoxication – but also alcohol poisoning, we do absolutely see that.

“Probably in another few years, we’ll be able to quantify exactly the effects of this massive binge drink [in] this short period of time.”

Drunk adult men at a bar drinking. Image: Dusan Petkovic / Alamy Stock Photo

According to Dr Cunningham, people do not understand the impact that taking part in the trend could have on their body.

“This is way just beyond your normal alcohol intoxication and being very drunk,” she said.

“This is like absolutely having organ damage as a result of a huge amount of quantity of alcohol.”

Minimising damage

Dr Cunningham recommended that drinking a few zero-zeroes, staying hyrdated and having food in your system before going out could all help to minimise the damage done over the 12 pubs.

“I mean a proper sustainable kind of food, not like a big greasy fry to go out and do the pubs, because that’s going to help slow down the release of the alcohol there,” she said.

“The other part of it as well is – and this is definitely something that I would encourage – they have like some sort of trend that they have to do in each pub.

“If you look at it, and you’re going to start doing the silly ones towards the end, your injuries are going to stack up.

“So, swapping shoes on your 12th pub when you have a six foot rugger bugger that’s now tried on a pair of six inch stilettos is just going to be a recipe of disaster when 12 drinks are in him.”

Dr Cunningham said proper planning could help to reduce the number of injuries resulting from the trend.

Featured image: People enjoy a drink and chat outside J.Grogan pub in Dublin city center just days ahead of Christmas. Image: NurPhoto SRL / Alamy. 21 December 2017