Karthik, 21, died after drinking five bottles of undiluted liquor as part of a Rs 10,000 bet with his friends in Karnataka. Reportedly, Karthik boasted to his friends that he could drink five full bottles of liquor without dilution. One of his friends then challenged him, offering Rs 10,000 if he succeeded.
Karthik consumed all five bottles but soon fell critically ill. He was rushed to a hospital in Mulbagal, Kolar district, where he died during treatment. According to reports, Karthik had gotten married last year, and his wife had just given birth a week before the incident.
After filing a case against six individuals involved in the matter, Nangali police arrested two of Karthik’s friends. Authorities are searching for others who participated in the life-threatening bet.
As per World Health Organization (WHO) data, approximately 26 lakh people die from alcohol-related causes every year, accounting for nearly 5% of global deaths.
The WHO has taken a firm stance that no amount of alcohol is entirely "safe." Their 2023 report states that scientific evidence cannot establish a threshold below which alcohol poses zero health risks, with potential harm beginning from the first drink. According to Dr. Carina Ferreira-Borges from the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the only certainty is that risk increases with consumption—the more you drink, the greater the harm, and the less you drink, the safer you are.
While some studies suggest potential cardiovascular or diabetes benefits from light or moderate drinking, the WHO maintains that these do not outweigh the associated cancer risks. Since there is no clear threshold where alcohol becomes "safe," any level of consumption carries some health risk.
