If you’re familiar with challenges both online and IRL that encourage people to chug a pint of hard liquor and have wondered how dangerous it is, the answer is simple: very. As in, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the ultimate danger factor, that’s probably where the answer is. Here’s why.

Whether part of a social media video, a hazing ritual or other contest, downing a pint of hard liquor leads to alcohol poisoning very quickly. Think about the one drink per one hour rule. It’s not just for driving, it’s how long the body takes to safely metabolize alcohol. All alcohol is the same, whether it’s downing beer cans or pints of hard liquor. In hard liquor, the alcohol volume is more concentrated so 1.5 ounces is considered a serving versus 12 ounces of beer. One pint contains 16 ounces, so your body doesn’t have to metabolize it.

Around 20 percent of alcohol is absorbed into the stomach. The rest goes into the small intestine and the liver metabolizes it, but slowly, at the rate of one per hour. More than that and alcohol goes into the bloodstream, where it builds up in blood and tissues until the liver is able to work on it. If you’re at a cocktail party for a quick appearance and drink more than one serving in an hour, you’ll be fine—as long as you don’t drive. But downing an entire pint (or more) in a short amount of time is not going to end well.

Namely, the major consequence of alcohol poisoning is death. Short of that, there’s loss of consciousness, the possibility of brain damage. And in the meantime, there can be seizures, confusion, vomiting, irregular heartbeat and other serious side effects.

Which pretty much all take the fun out of seeing how fast you can chug a pint of hard liquor.

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