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The father of a banker wants as much publicity about the death of his son. This piece is here for that reason because I believe you will actually read it rather than it being in the press section.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3279556.ece
From The Times
January 31, 2008
Drinking contest cost young banker’s life
Russell Jenkins
A young bank worker drank himself to death in a “last man standing” competition inspired by the film American Pie 5, an inquest was told yesterday.
David Reid, 22, a University of Manchester graduate, was a financial recovery specialist looking forward to a bright future.
But on a night in, he and a friend decided to recreate a scene from American Pie 5: The Naked Mile, in which two characters challenge each other to a drinking competition known as “last man standing”.
The only effective rule is that participants carry on drinking until they drop.
Mr Reid, who lived in Levenshulme, Manchester, had earlier been drinking margaritas and cans of lager before embarking on the drinking spree. The two men shared half a bottle of tequila, half a bottle of gin and three shots of whisky within 45 minutes. Mr Reid was eventually carried up to bed and placed in a sleeping bag after complaining that he could not drink any more. He was found dead hours later.
A blood-alcohol level sample showed he had 545 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millitres of blood, between six and seven times more than the drink-drive limit.
James Lynch, his friend, told the inquest that they had spent the evening at his home in Levenshulme with other friends watching television and playing cards. They had got the idea of the drinking competition from the DVD that they had watched earlier in the evening.
When he was asked by Leonard Gorodkin, the deputy coroner for Manchester, what the film was, he replied: “ American Pie.”
Mr Lynch said: “I cannot be too clear on what happened but on a normal night David would have about seven or eight pints. On this occasion he drank far more than that.”
Philip Reid, the dead man’s father, said: “It was completely out of the blue. He never drank during the week because he didn’t want anything to interfere with his work and when he did drink it was sensibly. This is why it shook us so much. It was completely out of character.”
The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. Mr Reid, who worked for the Bank of New York’s Manchester office, had died from alcohol poisoning which had simply stopped his brain from working.
Mr Gorodkin said: “We all know about drinking to excess and it has claimed the life of this young man.”
The dead man’s father, a former pub landlord, was anxious that other young men should heed the lessons of his son’s death. He said: “Every shot David took was like another bullet. All the hard work he put in, through school, sixth form and university, was gone in an instant.
“David was always sensible but on this occasion decided to play this game and the concentration of alcohol was fatal. Young men have to realise how dangerous strong spirits are to them. Your brain and body disconnect and you do not realise how much you’ve drunk until it is too late. A drinking contest might be fun for 15 minutes but the consequences are not worth it.”
A spokesman for the charity Alcohol Concern said: “It is vital that we provide better information for young people about the inherent risks of drinking heavily during any one evening. In situations like these, we are too often nowhere as invincible as we’re encouraged to think.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3279556.ece
From The Times
January 31, 2008
Drinking contest cost young banker’s life
Russell Jenkins
A young bank worker drank himself to death in a “last man standing” competition inspired by the film American Pie 5, an inquest was told yesterday.
David Reid, 22, a University of Manchester graduate, was a financial recovery specialist looking forward to a bright future.
But on a night in, he and a friend decided to recreate a scene from American Pie 5: The Naked Mile, in which two characters challenge each other to a drinking competition known as “last man standing”.
The only effective rule is that participants carry on drinking until they drop.
Mr Reid, who lived in Levenshulme, Manchester, had earlier been drinking margaritas and cans of lager before embarking on the drinking spree. The two men shared half a bottle of tequila, half a bottle of gin and three shots of whisky within 45 minutes. Mr Reid was eventually carried up to bed and placed in a sleeping bag after complaining that he could not drink any more. He was found dead hours later.
A blood-alcohol level sample showed he had 545 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millitres of blood, between six and seven times more than the drink-drive limit.
James Lynch, his friend, told the inquest that they had spent the evening at his home in Levenshulme with other friends watching television and playing cards. They had got the idea of the drinking competition from the DVD that they had watched earlier in the evening.
When he was asked by Leonard Gorodkin, the deputy coroner for Manchester, what the film was, he replied: “ American Pie.”
Mr Lynch said: “I cannot be too clear on what happened but on a normal night David would have about seven or eight pints. On this occasion he drank far more than that.”
Philip Reid, the dead man’s father, said: “It was completely out of the blue. He never drank during the week because he didn’t want anything to interfere with his work and when he did drink it was sensibly. This is why it shook us so much. It was completely out of character.”
The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. Mr Reid, who worked for the Bank of New York’s Manchester office, had died from alcohol poisoning which had simply stopped his brain from working.
Mr Gorodkin said: “We all know about drinking to excess and it has claimed the life of this young man.”
The dead man’s father, a former pub landlord, was anxious that other young men should heed the lessons of his son’s death. He said: “Every shot David took was like another bullet. All the hard work he put in, through school, sixth form and university, was gone in an instant.
“David was always sensible but on this occasion decided to play this game and the concentration of alcohol was fatal. Young men have to realise how dangerous strong spirits are to them. Your brain and body disconnect and you do not realise how much you’ve drunk until it is too late. A drinking contest might be fun for 15 minutes but the consequences are not worth it.”
A spokesman for the charity Alcohol Concern said: “It is vital that we provide better information for young people about the inherent risks of drinking heavily during any one evening. In situations like these, we are too often nowhere as invincible as we’re encouraged to think.”
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