VRChat's MAJOR drinking problem.

[@ItsCreepP]

As someone Who was genuinely shamed for not drinking, even though after explaining I was an extreme alcoholic back in 2018, and then coming into the scene in 2020, this is some thing that I’ve tried to speak about over and over, and only way to be ridiculed about. So it’s nice to see that someone with a platform like yours is saying some thing about it.

[@LhunVideo]

Woop! Important things, having lovely people like this to talk about it out loud. No shame to people who drink, or those or don't, those who can or can't or shouldn't. (like me! Meds don't mix much!). We should normalize making sure people are drinking safely for all the reasons stated here, and the many other reasons that having a healthy relationship with substances is all about.

[@Lilithe]

Creep-P you are 💯 in the right here and people who would try to pressure you further are... that's so awful. You're such a cool bean. Any time you wanna hang out alcohol free and just vibe it's all good ^-^

[@leonoliveira8652]

I'll never get people that do that, seriously. Remember to tell them to "Leave me alone with my two-feet-wide pizza and go enjoy your bitter beverage"

[@groupiedoupie4355]

I'm sorry you experienced that 😔.

[@Justfillintheblank]

You were shamed...for not drinking? Need I say...find new friends??

[@rikoea6530]

If your friends ever pressure you to drink on VR chat, drink water. And when they notice that you're not drunk, tell them someone has to be the designated driver.

[@ClokworkGremlin]

One advantage of social VR that you also don't have in IRL hangouts is, if the party's getting bad, it's much easier to just go somewhere else. No taxi fare, no fear that you're stranding someone without a ride, just pull up a new world (or a new game!) and away you go.

[@ExiledDragoon]

Did you do this and did it work?

[@rikoea6530]

@@ExiledDragoon I don't drink alcohol and never ended up in this situation but it's worth a shot

[@ExiledDragoon]

@@rikoea6530 I request an update if/when you give this a shot.

[@rikoea6530]

@@ExiledDragoon I don't do parties on VR Chat but feel free to give me an update as soon you try it. It sounds like you've been in this type of situation before and need the advice.

[@AleksWorkshop]

Gotta surround yourself with the right people

[@epicwarding]

This is the comment i was looking for

[@beanieteamie7435]

Based Aleks

[@notthatbad8844]

Yes

[@CowboyChilling]

I'll drink to that. 🥤

[@lunarchemist6805]

Yeah a few groups I am on right now they'll just say to drink water or something just to keep the vibes.

[@Psicough]

Massive tip that some have also mentioned: If someone's trying to pressure you to drink, just have some water and tell them you're getting smashed on tequila or something, they can't tell after all

[@DerakosZrux]

I find the hecklers often have pretty low self-esteem and tolerance for conflict. If you're in a public lobby you have no control over, telling them no and expressing your annoyance that they're being that way will probably make them overreact and they will essentially sabotage themselves into most of the lobby blocking them. Just my take as I think d-bags everywhere need confronted more.

[@NauyaWasTaken]

I'm very thankful for the recent wave of videos that talk about the darker aspects of VRChat. Spreading awareness for these things through well produced videos helps way more than just word of mouth. I've lost some good friends to VRChat addictions and vices. Looking over to see people who I used to hang out with having 20,000+ hours in VRChat who've told me that if I want to talk or hang out again, I should just go see them in VR is... A difficult feeling to process.

[@NauyaWasTaken]

@Baxi I had originally wrote a verbose reply to you but after reading more comments, it seems like you're one of those people crusading around your own opinion whilst talking down others who are sharing their genuine negative experiences to get things off their chest. If anything, people like you are the problem. No one here is blaming the userbase of VRChat, but you're going around blaming everyone in the comments for doing so whilst calling them all addicts and people with issues that have no self control. Have you ever been peer pressured? It's not a blameless situation, and it's hard to avoid it depending on the type of person involved. Besides, you're doing far more damage to the reputation of the userbase than this video or anyone sharing their experiences in the comments my friend.

[@NauyaWasTaken]

@Baxi From what you've told me in this comment, it seems like your struggle with addiction in your family is real. You're venting your frustrations out on other people online. No one who hasn't been dealing with the real thing would go out of their way to be this negative towards a subject. Still, VRChat is a product, made by people who don't know you or care to know you. I don't see anyone here saying that it's the responsibility other others to police VRChat behaviour, just others sharing that they have or have had negative experiences in VRChat relating to addiction. Don't die on a hill defending a product from inexistent boogiemen. It's not worth it. I'm sorry for the negativity in my initial reply, are you doing okay? *Edit* Just saw your second reply, yeah you're definitely going through some hard times. It's not healthy throwing all this around. Being this defensive about a topic online isn't good, both because you're letting your own emotions get the better of you and because the ease of aggravation makes you a really easy target, that's why you're running into so much cancel culture. Don't be another Pot calling the Kettle black situation online. If your family is suffering from addiction and you're fighting it yourself, you're better than this.

[@Sovereignless_Soul]

@Baxi Exposing the fact that bad things happen somewhere is considered "close to cancel culture now?" So then what about the grooming that occurs every single day on VRChat? Is talking about that also cancel culture? What defines it?

[@DerakosZrux]

I just don't think that it's that novel. What you described can be the case for people that don't want to go anywhere that doesn't serve alcohol. The interface is new... but everything else seems like stuff we were already dealing with. I've just yet to see a "this thing is VR is bad" video that didn't seem like click-bait. The one that talks about mirrors just makes a lot of negative assumptions that are just wrong, claiming they're self-obsessed or having body-dysmorphia.... instead of it just being an easy way to see everyone you're hanging out with in a setting that, while it's getting better, choosing not to move around much is still often ideal. Not saying people don't have issues, but I am saying that for most people VRchat is not the reason it's just the social setting they prefer and have access to.

[@Lupain]

@@NauyaWasTaken Just about the peer pressure. Not saying that you are completely wrong, but when people do stupid things because of peer pressure, it's their own fault completely. Different individuals have different levels of self-control, I had/have issues with alcoholism since I was 15 because my life gone worse everyday until today, I've regained more and more self-control over the years later because I don't wanna die early of this. If anyone taking drugs, drink or smoke just because your friends thinks it is COOL and you're afraid of being excluded otherwise it is still his fault for 100%, while I have to say that it's sad how the society works who the hell wants to befriended with brainless zombies who would not like you anymore because you don't wanna give up your own personality. I'd rather be alone than this.

[@gravel4189]

Vr literally took me from never wanting to drink alcohol when I was 19, to drinking while I was on medication and nearly dying. I broke a cabinet in my bathroom because I passed out and fell. I had to explain that to my parents and spent the whole next day throwing up and not able to walk

[@TheGwizmiester]

I've had a few friends cut back or take long breaks from VR simply because they knew they were drinking too much. As someone who is pretty deep in the party scene it's definitely easy to go overboard and fall into a cycle of drinking regularly because it's just what you would do at any other irl club. You don't *need* to drink to dance and have fun with your friends but hearing 30 people shout cheers every minute or so doesn't exactly help. 🤷‍♀️ Just gotta discipline yourself and not get too caught up I suppose

[@huzrokhayzur2197]

I've one time at a VR Dj club and the dude organizing the event was non stop telling people to take shots (each freakin time he had to do an annoncement)

[@CurvedGD]

Thanks to you PHIA, I am highly considering to buying a VR headset, thank you for the epic content aswell as I have realised that your content has been increasingly higher quality! Keep up the content!

[@whiteberrywyatt]

Careful what you wish for lmao. Vrchat is a different breed of humans

[@zig131]

A second-hand Rift CV1 is still a great choice for a first headset. Affordable consumer VR tech hasn't really moved on all that much. I bought one and I am very happy with it. No battery to worry about and has good comfort and audio quality out the box.

[@CurvedGD]

@@whiteberrywyatt played it on PC, along with recroom

[@whiteberrywyatt]

@@zig131 even better… get a Rift S! I had one for three years and they are less than $200 used if you’re lucky

[@C_chill282]

I would highly recommend getting a Quest 2. Not only is it still being supported but you can't beat the cost.

[@ChroahCresta]

Let's turn vrchat alcoholism into a drinking game. Take a shot every time someone says cheers. ...wait.

[@Omnipulsar]

try that with my favorite drink, everclear

[@GoldKitsuneBrony]

Or 'Tink tink'~

[@ravins4786]

GOD FUCKING DAMN IT ITS SO ACCURATE TOO.

[@yardsalePDX]

Great video Phia! While I totally agree that there is a issue with alcohol itself in VR, I wonder if this is indicative of a larger issue with VR in general? Like, the issue of immersion you brought up, where you don't even notice how drunk you are until you take off the headset, or the fact that if you get kicked out of an instance you can just hop into another one and keep on going... just seems like those points indicate a larger issue to investigate maybe? Regardless, great video Phia! Side note, I LOVED the mix of your VRC avatar and your IRL self in this vid, great editing choice! Always look forward to your vids dude :D

[@TheVirtualRealityShow]

Definitely a subset of VRChat addiction as a topic. Hopefully more on this in the near future :)

[@madisonbell5481]

@@TheVirtualRealityShow Maybe a video about the ways in which VRChat, as a medium, changes how we interact with eachother (vs. irl). To quote McLuhan, "the medium is the message", right?

[@RanmaSyaoranSaotome]

As a once non-drinker, I nearly went to this hell myself and thankfully came back out of the depths of it. Being surrounded by people from different time zones means there's always the potential for it being "drinking time" and that makes it especially tempting to have "just one more sip". I've now replaced my raising a glass of wine to raising a glass of water and it's just as fun.

[@MaluuhLive]

@Baxi no one blamed the user base, the purpose of all of this is raising awareness

[@mikafizz1022]

​@Baxi they didn't blame every user of vrchat though, why are you making an argument that didn't exist?

[@GuitarGuruGaming]

yeah, that's an important realization, that the people you are with can't actually see what you are drinking. So if you choose you get to be the best hydrated person in the room lol.

[@vampyrickiller909]

I remember back in 2020 when quarantine hit. I picked up an oculus rift s. And i found a friend group. And then before i knew it, i was a mini alcoholic. I would go into vr drinking and feel fine, then take off the headset and then i would hit the floor. Glad i kicked that shit

[@HoshPak]

So glad I didn't get pressured into drinking, yet. I join club events regularly and so far they have been exceptionally good without a single drop of alcohol. Stay safe out there, folks.

[@Lilithe]

Re: Sippy cups and drinking on VR... it's good for liquids replenishment too! I have a water bottle on a table behind where I usually stand when I play VR so I can reach back for it. That or a cup with a lid / straw or a sippy cup. No spills and all the liquids your body craves! :D

[@chippdbanjo]

Despite me being a few years young for drinking, I still find myself going to a lot of drinking worlds since I just have a better time with people Also. No I don’t drink, and I’ve noticed that people don’t hide behind the anime mask as much when they are under. They just feel like they are being real for once.

[@Sweeneytv]

I only play vrchat drunk.

[@marytone909]

Nearly two years ago now, when I was almost 21, and 21, I remember being in this group of friends who all were like this, and became a really bad influence to me once I was able to purchase alcohol myself legally. I remember "water" being a forbidden word that made you have to take a drink if you said it. I would probably be in a really bad state now if I didn't have to start taking a medication I couldn't drink on, and eventually fell out with those people. I appreciate someone with such a large platform speaking about the issue.

[@Lupain]

Why would you let them influence you in such a bad way?

[@cmnidit4444]

@@Lupain because secretly everyone wants to KNOW what that feeling of being drunk is. then later you say you were pressured, when really, it was a little thought in the back of your head.

[@Clarity_VT2]

Hopefully everyone can take something from this and become more self-aware that the escapism of VRChat and lack of gate-keeping in it can influence... well, quite a problem. Be safe out there everyone!

[@TheVirtualRealityShow]

Thanks for the interview Clarity

[@Phaustin]

5 days old and only 27k views. This needs more eyeballs and attention. I've been around vrchat for years now. And this has been a huge on-going issue. And some people really hurt themselves. Thank you for making this video. 💜 I hope more people see it in the community, especially the ones that NEED to see it. We might have fun in VR but we need to take care of our real selves/body too. Love what you do!

[@ctrlaltbang9883]

Crap, you got me. I feel personally attacked lol. Either way, this is an issue I won't lie. Good vid.

[@serfera369]

I NEVER drank b4 vr. Now I drink occasionally. It happens

[@ctrlaltbang9883]

Every now and then I will Drink, only on Fridays. When I do, VR chat is my place. I would rather be under the influence in my own home than on the road posing a threat.

[@serfera369]

@@ctrlaltbang9883 100% my friend

[@serfera369]

@Baxi i agree with u streamers and the like can call against it all they want. Its like trying to stop the crashers n black kat. There's 1 of 2 defenses n vrc we can all use that they should teach every1 about instead (im amazed at how many ppl dont know about these) the report button and the block/hide button and ur own common sense and discretion. That's the only true defenses we have n vrc if people become a problem. And sticking together.

[@XtendedReality]

Very well said, Phia. The subject is a point of perspective that nobody really takes insight on, especially the people that drink in VR spaces often. Really big fan of your work, keep it up:)

[@adam2O]

OH MY LORD THAT KERMIT THE FROG LOL! 6:53

[@Pendarr]

I've only drank a couple times in my life, but all my friends that use VR are usually drinking - sometimes pretty heavily. It's a little embarrassing to admit but I often find myself just pretending to be drinking as well when someone says 'cheers' even though I'm really just drinking coffee, a diet pepsi or just water. Drinking seems to be the central theme, the motif, of why so many people even still log in to VRChat. It makes me a little sad because I see how drastically some of my friends change when they are super drunk. I've been dealing with loneliness and the few times I've drank in VR were partially fueled by that desire to fit in. But I don't like it.

[@paolaanimator]

No worries! I also drink water, tea, coffee, smoothies, etc in VR Chat.

[@NauyaWasTaken]

I know that feeling, the loneliness sucks and it peer pressures you more than any one person ever could. Still, I think you shouldn't feel embarrassed that you don't want to get caught up with all of the drinking and being wasted. If anything, you should be proud that you won't let others intrude on decisions you've made for your own health. Don't be afraid to reach out to anyone you know who can support you. We're all in this boat together.

[@rinshotin2521]

@@NauyaWasTaken ♡♡♡

[@GATOATTACK]

This a really important video. As a streamer/content creator you also often find other creators only wanting to collab on drunk nights. Or viewers wanting us to just stream when drunk. Often times this is the reason I take long breaks from VR to avoid this pressure.

[@iamLucid]

Verry happy you made this video

[@YumiYume]

A good, balanced view of the pros and cons of partying and drinking in VR. I do hang out with friends on Friday nights and yeah, it can go on for 7 or 8 hours easy, drinking and dancing. But as Clint Eastwood said in 'Dirty Harry', "A fox girl's got to know her limitations". By the way, if anyone (over 18 years) needs to talk about problems they are having, I am a mental health supporter in VRChat, Discord and Twitter (although not a professional or registered counsellor). I hold a Stage 2 Certificate in counselling in the UK and listen without judgement to all sorts of problems from all sorts of people for free. I started down this path of VR counselling after helping someone through a very rough time in their life when they became a near alcoholic in VRChat as a way to escape it.

[@_gamma.]

Creating content like this shows how deeply you care about the community, good work. VRChat is better with your presence

[@melissaq8854]

ive met lots of people who drink waaaay too much and are shut ins its a huge problem, they drink because its fun and they want to join the fun, but then they join more friends for fun who are drinking and they slip into drinking waaaaay too much. theres also the problems of people in VR who cant see what you actually look like irl too see if you are too drunk. glad you covered this subject

[@moonoramaVR]

Thanks for making this video. I like how you disclaim that you do partake in drinking alcohol in VR, but you don’t make it a regular thing. And it’s up to each person whether it’s something they want to do. And, Understanding where to draw the line is important. Moderation is key to this type of thing. I drink water and sparkling water with friends. Tastes better, hydrates me, and doesn’t affect my body in a harmful way.

[@kishy6558]

i’m honestly so excited for you to reach 200k you make such great content and you deserve it

[@hyenaedits3460]

I've gone to a few VR clubbing events and the pressure to drink is *real.* I tend to take the nonconfrontational approach and pretend to drink when it's really a bottle of soda or water I'm chugging, or I'll nurse a Mike's Hard Lemonade the whole night. I don't really like the taste of alcohol and I don't like losing control.

[@GuitarGuruGaming]

One of the core Tenets of one of the drinking groups I hang out with on the weekends in VR is "When we say cheers, you drink... but we couldn't care less *what* you drink". more often than not there is at least a handful of people at each event that are completely sober the entire time (normally because they work early in the morning or have some other reason) and everyone there is totally chill about it. It's super important to surround yourself with the right people.

[@DiblingXx]

I have social anxiety and there is something so comforting about people who drink with you... It's nice. I miss my lockdown VRC parties. T-T

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

Remember with peer pressure why you should get out of there you can always drink water and lie and say you're getting drunk as hell. they'll never know they're getting drunk too. Oh but regardless if you drink, drink water as you do. my gosh you got to do it or you're going to get messed up. Not to mention it takes the edge off The hangover which in many ways is partially a dehydration headache

[@NauyaWasTaken]

If it's alcohol, food helps too!

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

@@NauyaWasTaken soak it up with that spongy food!!

[@iamMarinara]

Very intriguing and eye opening video. I've noticed a lot of alcoholics in VR and honestly it really concerns me; not just for the people around them but for the actual people that are drunk behind the headset. very good video! Love your work as always!

[@huzrokhayzur2197]

yeah i'm worried for them and can't really enjoy the moment since i have no idea how much they are waisted behind their headset,

[@valkayrie1198]

whenever I DJ in VR I have these "rules for drinking" and the 1st one actively encourages having water, food, soda, etc while the 2nd says not to bash people for what they choose. 2 simple things plastered on every video screen of a world and I still have to leave the DJ booth if I'm self hosting or message the party host to deal with people that think it's ok to pressure other people to drink heavily.

[@GuitarGuruGaming]

I respect that, especially as the DJ you have a little more pull than anyone else in the room and so it's good to set a responsible example.

[@miliku]

as Someone who is watching this video while nursing a hangover from vrchat. i think the video hits on some excellent points but let me just drop some "tricks" for people who want to drink in vr but be more careful about it 1. it's even mentioned in the video but take off your headset! just take it off for a minute or 2 once in a while your body does not realize how drunk you really are until you do this so its good to gauge how drunk you really are 2. drink water and make sure your friends do this too 3. dont listen to the crazy amount of alcohol people try to make you drink just drink at your owne pace (nobody can see or tell how much you actually drink anyway) 4. look out for each other check up on your friends make sure they are having fun and not getting sick or uncomfortable 5. find your limit and stop when you hit it we drink to have a good time not get spend a day puking and being sick because we had too much

[@SlyTheShark]

saw this pop up in my recommended, and yeah its awesome seeing people cover both the good and the bad sides of the coin and spread awareness to this kind of stuff, I love to chill in the party scene and such, but knowing one's limits is always an important thing , I like to go up to ppl sometimes and ask if they've had any water or such on their heavier drinking moments. Thnx for the awesome content, I'll keep an eye out for your stuff for sure :)

[@Subparanon]

Kermits in your kitchen drinking ALL of your wine.

[@Isamaar]

That's why I'm impressed w my friend group on VRChat, they don't press you to drink alcohol if you don't want to. In fact. They encourage drinking water whenever they do cheers and such. It's great and wholesome. I have come across people who do push, but I don't let it get to me.

[@S1RLANC3]

Thank's for clarifying this. I am also one of the ones that fall into this category. I'm actually stopping now and not doing any weekday drinking from here on than. You keep being awesome and take care.

[@twystedgamer1174]

I absolutely agree with this. I have a friend I met on VRChat who is 17, and they have been getting heavily drunk on hard liquor every day or two for the past 6 months. I've drank a few times myself but the only time I got too drunk was on accident -as you mentioned, it is very hard to tell just how drunk you are till you take the headset off- and I make sure to drink only on occasion. But I have been tempted many times to drink excessively, and my past is what keeps me from it; My father committed suicide drunk, I promised I would not make the same mistake and is likely why I didn't give in to this trend. People need to realize we aren't invincible, by the age you can drink you've nearly started getting less resilient to this kind of harm. Whether it be doing something irresponsible that gets you killed, alcohol poisoning or just permanent damage for the rest of your life, it isn't worth it. Nice vid btw, this helped me realize what I already knew, but just didn't realize I knew.

[@BlueBlueBlue-6]

I was on medical marijuana and I never had a problem with it until I started using VRChat. I met some people who when they found out I had it and knew I couldn't drink peer pressured me into doing as much as I could. It was fun at first but eventually I was high everyday every hour in that game and usually I was mentally gone. I've made a lot of bad choices during that period of my life and regret listening to them.

[@morxi5817]

I do drink during my time in vrc, but I don't go past after one or two drinks. I'd still like to be able to hear, see, and speak clearly and not be a rambling mess.

[@edattacks]

I'm hearing atleast one "CHEERS" in each VRChat sesh lol. Every now and then, I'm the one saying cheers haha. Yea I know some people that be drunk or drugs (weed or acid) all the time in VR

[@Big6C]

Just a few days ago my best friend‘s dad died from an alcohol overdose, so I really appreciate you making this now.

[@lonesomecross]

Drinking can definitely be a weird subject when it comes to VR. I personally enjoy drinking with a tight knit group of friends that I met during one of their Friday night escapades, and we have a blast. So much so, one of our buddies, @PreExistence, has gone through hours of footage to make highlight reels for us to look back on and laugh at ourselves. I’ve also seen some pretty crazy stuff happen in VR when drinking was involved, so I think moderation is the best policy!

[@dashtothemax5353]

Thank you for talking about this. I've been to the hospital 10 times for alcohol withdrawals after getting VR. Before VR I only did meth and while I would never recommend it, never had any problems.

[@ran4082]

love what you are doing with vr, helping people out. Keep it up Phia!

[@MilkyWayHeroz]

I was a part of a big drinking group, thing is I only drank once a week on the weekend. they even had a discord and for the most part it was nice. tbh you just have to keep yourself in line. oh and for the record not all big drinking groups pressure you to drink, those who wanted to drink would drink and those who didn't could just chill and vibe with everyone. either way it was a fun time and I'd recommend finding the right people to drink with, just don't overdo it.

[@Stryker_VR]

really informative video, I think its funny you uploaded this today because Sunday night (June 5) I ended up drinking with a buddy of mine. He told me to go to drinking night and meet some new people so thats exactly what I did. I met a lot of cool people that night, but with every new person I met? I took a shot with them. I ended the night with about 19 shots in my system. Mind you, I had an awesome time being so social and laughing the whole time with other people, but it was something I dont think I could see my self doing very often.

[@DansMantra]

I was in that Drinking Night world a few hours ago with a group of friends. Its a shame that many people develop these kinds of issues, I get that VR allows us to escape the negative aspects of our lives. For myself nearly 3 years ago I had ended my marriage to my abusive wife and it was tough..I did find myself depressed but never found myself overdoing anything like eating or drinking.. To those that have issues I heed you to talk to someone you trust and never feel.like you are not alone in irl or vr.

[@ImaginaryX]

This was definitely an important topic to discuss! Well done Phia, great video. I never drank, but I know for a fact that dancing is better off separating from drinking when it comes to clubs, let's be real.😅😅 And thnx for the shout-out at the end! 💙

[@marct1187]

I found myself getting into a loop on Horizon worlds, with the same sort of issue happening to me. I was getting plastered and chatting with people almost every single night, losing sense of time. I wouldn’t even realize how drunk I was getting until I took off my headset, like you said. I was drinking an insane amount of hard alcohol and wasn’t even realizing it. It can definitely be a slippery slope to tread. Be safe and take care of your physical selves when you’re in the virtual realm.

[@sozariyu]

this video couldn't have dropped at a better time, I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to alcohol in general, but i recently tried to play a "drinking game" (i was the only one really drinking and i only drank one smirnoff ice bottle the whole game) and i genuinely don't know what caused this to happen but I've never felt that drunk before with that little alcohol, i felt like absolute shit for the rest of the night and swore to myself I wouldn't do this again, but I can't help but feel tempted: "oh it's just one drink, why does it matter" i feel like the placebo effect of being at a bar/ drinking game in VR, combined with all the points you've mentioned in here makes it so the whole VRChat drinking experience becomes extremely different than socially drinking irl.

[@NauyaWasTaken]

You might be someone who can get drunk off of atmosphere in social situations. I've seen some people get "drunk" at bars partying with their friends when all they ordered was a Shirley Temple. Either that or maybe you usually eat food when you drink alcohol and this time your stomach was empty?

[@sozariyu]

@@NauyaWasTaken could be the first one, i usually drink when I'm playing valorant if im being completely honest

[@NauyaWasTaken]

@@sozariyu Ah, yeah it's likely the "Drunk off Atmosphere" phenomenon then. If playing Valorant and drinking doesn't get you wasted in the same way and you've drank the same kind of alcohol, you have your answer.

[@Spidoc]

0:15 Avatar dynamics at their finest

[@nuggies5348]

I honestly love drinking in VR as well, especially every week after stressful work days. But of course, I admit I'm one of those people who would drink until they passed out. I honestly would stay in front of the old Drinking Night, the day when it's not yet quest compatible. And every time someone joins, I love to talk to them and asking them how's their day been etc. It's wonderful how so many people decided to come in and drink almost everyday. I honestly wouldn't be surprise if one day, I were to become one of people like these It's like, alcohol make me less nervous to talk to people, and I think I'm addict to that But now, it's bad seeing kids in the Drinking Night and get the bad influence

[@Katoptrys]

I'm a sommelier, I work at a wine bar IRL, and I used to be a bartender. If there is one thing I have had to do MULTIPLE times, it's cutting people off. Some people don't know their own limits and just keep going like there is no consequences. The dangerous aspect of VRC drinking is that no one can stop you, if you don't want to stop. While it might be safer for others around you, it's not necessarily safer for yourself

[@123SuperSomeone]

Just this past weekend, I actually got blackout drunk playing VRChat. While the social aspect was definitely a lot of fun, the hangover was awful and I really could have hurt myself since I live alone. The social part was great and I'd like to do it again, but I'm glad I learned my limits and I intend to limit myself to one or two beers, and nothing stronger than beer.

[@CenKyne]

This is interesting. I do notice the drinkers are very high in number. By the time I was in VRC in 2017 I was already a bit too old to be drinking and expect to be able to do the physical hobbies I do. While I'm resistant to people pressuring me to do things, a lot of the culture sort of will push non drinkers out of social circles so this can really be damaging for lonely folks.

[@bluebell1]

Phia this is an awesome video! I love that you are bringing up issues that can happen when taking alcohol to an unsafe level! Peer pressure is hard for some people! Thank you for bringing awareness to your community!

[@hdsavion]

I'm a bit surprised that you covered this but I'm really glad you did!

[@phonicalnotion248]

I drank a few times in VRChat, and it did loosen me up and actually introduced me to a group of fantastic friends. How-in-of-the-ever.....the after effects were not worth the sacrifice of health. I felt so tired, lethargic and generally drained by the end of the night. I barely slept those nights after the day was done. Never really got drunk, but pretty tipsy and wobbly; and if that alone was enough to make me feel bad, I'm not exactly lining up to give drunk VR a try.

[@nexgenvrspare6167]

As someone who does drink at events like this it is dangerous if you are suseptable to peer pressure. I know my limits when I drink around them all thankfully but not everyone can do that. Do NOT drink in VRC IF you are suseptable to peer pressure and when you DO drink in vrc Make sure you either KNOW your limits or have someone there that you trust to tell you to STOP. Okay? It's a matter of being in control of YOURSELF. At the end of the day the one suffering the side effects of drinking in vrc is YOU. Take care of yourselves and be fucking smart. Not dumb. VRC is not a GAME! VRC is more like a social media platform, the MOMENT you let your guard down and lose yourself is the moment people will take advantage of you. That's the harsh truth. All in all, watch out for yourself if no one else does it for you. It's not their job. Also, DO NOT DRINK IF YOU'RE UNDER THE LEGAL AGE.

[@Lilithe]

I often find others drinking but don't really do so myself. Sometimes I'll have *one* drink and sometimes I don't even finish it. I'll find my sippy cup (crucial for VR drinking) still partly full the next day. On a really big day or something I might have 1 or 2. Usually a drink I mix myself. But I also don't have that type of personality where I need to keep stuff like that up. Social smoking, drugs, alcohol. I never really feel like I want to keep them up and physical addiction doesn't really hold me over anything much other than caffeine. Knowing your limits is important but knowing your susceptibility to habit forming is another, probably more important thing. The thing about your friend reminds me of my mother. She drank basically the whole time I was growing up, and drank heavily after my dad died when I was 12. My whole teenage years she was basically not present. She'd be drinking all day with my stepfather. She got type 2 diabetes from it, and recently she's had a scare about early onset dementia from years of alcohol abuse. I didn't even really know that was a thing, but I guess it is. It's sad to see someone you love lose her mind permanently. All you can do is be there for her and maybe nudge her toward reality when her brain starts to fill in the gaps with nonsense. 😿 My stepfather already died from cancer which they kept from me until he was almost gone too. Again, due to a lot of drinking and smoking. This stuff does have real impacts and it bears repeating. I don't mean to be a buzz kill but some people really should be more careful with substances than others and keep control of their intake.

[@jakeaurod]

I've only been using VRC for a couple weeks and now have been out of it for over a week. Most of my drinking while watching VR (I'm a desktop player) is tea, but I've had a couple hard ciders while in game. Drinking is social, and VRC is a social network, so it makes perfect sense for people to drink while socializing in it. But, I don't do much drinking in VRC because I don't do much socializing in VRC, and the same goes with IRL.

[@GoldKitsuneBrony]

I fell down this rabbit hole myself. Since ive been old enough to drink ive lived in small nowhere towns where in tbe night life is... nonexistent. I 2020 I used one of my covid checks to buy a headset and from there it didn't take long. Did a lot of damage to my reputation and started to experience terrible withdrawal even going without it a few days. So now a days I set a hard limit of two nights a week to get plastered.

[@PumpkinSeries]

I am glad you are pointing out the pros and cons of VR, especially when it comes to the dark escapism that is sadly attractive at first glance to those currently “in the gutter”. VR chat has so much potential, but people need to be cognizant of its dangers. I believe some fail safes should be in order like VR reminders of how much time is spent, and even scheduling features to remind players of their bodily needs.

[@mossmortis]

I'm new to VRChat and I've already noticed this. Few days ago I was exploring the world and I came across a group. There was this one guy that was already very drunk and he was questioning whether to drink more because he wanted to drink all of his drinks (and he listed what he had, which was many many many things, bottles of things). The people around him encouraged him to drink more. I was genuinely scared for this guy's liver, and his life.

[@CandyMsp-gw2qu]

That happened to me I told a guy to get a glass of water and go to bed

[@bizz7612]

I knew it was only a matter of time before someone started calling this out. Thank you for talking about this in a respectful way Phia.

[@Coziest777]

1:12 I wasn't expecting the Boy Pablo reference

[@thegreenguy8837]

I am Part of my countries Emergency Services (EMS: Firefighters, Medics, Federal Agency for Technical Relief etc.) and therefore have been keeping myself sober to be constantly deployment ready. Also i have seen what alcohol can do to people especially when isolated. With me not drinking one thing i noticed really quickly is that there is a lot of people that will give you flack for not drinking, espically in worlds like the one described above. Don´t let people like this decide, if, how and what you drink. Monitor your health to some degree, be self aware regarding your drinking. Switch it up, drink water here and there and most definetly don´t forget to eat. If you know you can´t keep going, stop imediatly. Also dont be afraid to call an ambulance if you feel like you need. I d rather be driving twice without it beeing necessary than not drive and have someone get hurt.Remember to watch out for your fellow players aswell. We dont want to be dragging you from your home because you drank yourself to coma or death so please take care.

[@housecapital2199]

Yeah this is a topic I had to go through. Never drank before getting on vr at all TBH. I loved every minute of it, getting a little tipsy in vr is such a trip. I started wanting more and more and it was easy to find an excuse to drink socially with a party being on 24/7 right in my own bedroom. It became unhealthy pretty quick once I started going along with the culture of saying cheers instead of what I had been doing, a small shot once every 20 minutes with a full water bottle in between. It kind of milled me into overdrinking every time I got into VR. I replaced the alcohol with a much more antisocial drug and stopped drinking / partying in vr entirely. After struggling to break that legitimate addiction I don't dare pick up drinking again and now its no fun trying to go back to the parties with all the alcoholics I had made friends with over the six months of heavy drinking. I think the platform does allow for really unhealthy behavior in people who probably would have gone to the bar with friends once a week at most. I see good friends avoiding getting on unless its a drinking night, and others that seem to be on all the time drinking. Its not a good look, and you can say its a persons responsibility to not overdrink all you want but at the end of the day we are social creatures and the people we are around do influence our decisions. The culture of drinking nights is a constant encouragement to overdrink. I don't think I've heard any of my friends except one say something like "Hold on bud, you should probably take a break for a while, you look a little tipsy."

[@visij]

Thanks for touching on this topic Phia. Drink responsibly every1

[@YouTubeDoxedMyRealName]

Well I joined VRC about 2019-2020ish I lived in VRC for 6 months and I was drunk for 6 months. Drinking with out getting waisted while still being waisted is a thing in VR. One moment ur like im fine then you take off ur HMD to go pee and ur like holy crap then you put the HMD back on and ur like im fine. The group I was with did drink heavily but we never pressured any one to drink more than water... In any case some how I never got a hangover once but eventually I reached a point where I started blacking out easily. (memory loss) Then I left VR for a while. It is a lot easier to interact or want to interact with people when drinking tho... At least it is for me since I dont interact with people IRL in any meaningful way since Im always busy and people around me even neighbors and stuff dont have anything in common with me any ways... In any case good video.

[@desmoteemyon2391]

I actually know a few who've died drinking in Vrchat. 3 or 4 to be exact just this year. It's definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.

[@peach_boba8272]

I've been on VRchat for around 5 years now and Im not proud to say that I too was once one of those people that would drink on the game all day, everyday. Whenever I talk about my alcohol addiction on VRchat people dont even take it seriously, a lot of times the reply I get is them trying to... over-do me? Im not sure how to put it into words. They basically belittle me and the experience I had, saying they've been drinking for years and... even bragging about their alcoholism as if its a good thing. I used to run with a crowd that was legit just about drinking but I could mostly handle myself, I'd only drink in the evening and I'd try not to drink during the week but I got very close with one of the guys from this group and it sucked me into the alcoholism. I had previously struggled with this addiction at 16 but I had it mostly under control... however when your romantic partner is an alcoholic (and has been since he was around 16) its quite hard not to fall into it as well, especially with a history of addiction (and not just to alcohol) and mental illness. Every day he would have me join and drink with him, I'd continue drinking after he had gone to bed because I didnt want to be awake during the day (private stuff in my life that I wont touch on). My body was a mess, I threw up so much even when I hadnt had any alcohol or had only had a tiny bit of alcohol because my stomach was so irritated. I lost a ton of weight because most days I couldnt even eat anything at all/ Id just puke it back up within the next hour or so. I luckily got away from this... scene after my then partner broke up with me which caused me to drop that entire friend group as well. While I still struggle a lot to stay sober some days I'm proud to say that I've been able to drink alcohol in moderation without falling back into the alcoholism. Its baby steps but I've only been sober for about a year so I think im doing amazing. I've been wanting to talk about this topic for the longest time but I'm a no one so it wouldnt have an impact at all. I'm so incredibly glad that you made this video. I put the link to it on my VRchat profile so hopefully more people can see it. I will continue to fight against alcoholism and help people as much as I can. Thank you again. I appreciate you

[@OniKitsuChi1962]

I was falling into this very social group and it was becoming a problem. I don't normally drink irl mostly holidays and a bit on my bday, but in vr I would start drinking with one group the switch to a new one. I would experience black outs where I couldn't remember what happened the night before, I was scared that of what I was becoming and forced myself not to continue down that path. I no longer drink when I play vr even when I'm with one of these groups.

[@alwaysyouramanda]

I don’t play much at all, but I was on around Halloween and got to talking to a guy about the spider girl avatar he made (an older sounding gentlemen) and this girl comes and interrupts mid convo- can’t really remember what she was on about but she was obviously pretty sauced and invading his space. Her boyfriend came around too and she started berating him for trying to reel her in. It was so sad to see- and what shocked me was how young those two sounded!

[@alwaysyouramanda]

When I turned 21, I vowed to stop completely- it was a big thing throughout my teens with my friend group and so much drama would abound. I can’t stand the stuff anymore. It must be bad with virtual socializing… you don’t really get to see the bad-! I see people from my past.. sadly even my little sister.. how it’s just tinged every aspect of their lives if it didn’t completely ruin them or kill them-!

[@EnchaJini]

as a Casual Drinker, meaning I only drink when I want to. without being forced or the feeling of peer pressure from others. but I can say I'm on a few discords. there they do drinking nights. Thursday to Sunday. and sometimes it covers the rest of the week. but it can be anything from Watching Movies, and whenever something happens or someone says something you take a swallow of your drink. or they do Drinking Card Games, or Co-op Multiplayer games like Golf it etc... and they run typically from 6pm till 10 or 11pm then they head into VR and continue drinking in VR Worlds. I've been there and I just drink when I want to now, and I don't partake in the games because it's so easy to drink a Litre of something or 30 odd cans in one night. and then think to yourself that you have to go buy more for another day. (luckily I limit myself to 1 day a week in VR to cope with not drinking more than I should in 1 night rather than making it last me a week or two)

[@capristone]

Great video! I'm glad someone is talking about this, I've seen it happen throughout so many friend groups.

[@LunaNevermore]

I just got into VR chat and I came here once just to check it out and everyone was drinking, I was the only one wasn't drinking because even though I am of age and can drink I chose not to because it isn't for me. It was an interesting experience being the only one there sober haha.

[@Boltact]

Honestly been in VRC for awhile mostly around the drinking culture. Like most have said, drink water. Seriously. You can have 1 or 2 nights a week when you drink but even on those night especially during the early part drink water. There is peer pressure but honestly nobody will ever know you have drank water instead of alcohol. It's my go to. Water is king and forever will be how I have survived so long in drinking and rave worlds Also people, get yourself safe and sound people. Always look after yourself in the IRL to enjoy the VR life.

[@krasnoiark]

For me that's where I met the closest friends. I do make sure that I regulated myself. I can't drink anymore because of something completely different but those days on friday nights drinking with the bois and doing silly games and stuff was my favorate part of vrchat. I see those days like a nostlagic feeling. But I have to admit I've seen people just drink all the time and it was quite unsettling especially when they try to force you to drink

[@zRayzz]

I know I’m pretty late to this but as player for 4 years now and have done drinking here and there , I can say for sure that this is what VRChat has become now. There’s a lot of reasons as to why people do it and if you have fun this way , cool. But, if this is your only way to having fun well, you do you. Especially knowing how VRChat can damage people physically and mentally, alcohol doesn’t make anything better but alas, that is what their choice. I’ll just happily enjoy my horror maps and game worlds.

[@krissisk4163]

I'm fairly certain that any attempt on my part to drink while in VR would just result in a spilled drink. And given how expensive my taste in booze is (my drinks of choice run $80-100/bottle, which I gotta say does a lot to encourage me to enjoy it in moderation), that'd be bad.

[@yyyyhuhguitf1552]

You made me to get into vr thank you

[@melonyborgono8570]

So many people don’t realize this when on there and it ruins there life and they think it’s an escape

[@FizzySpew]

had my first experience drinking at the "drinking night" club just recently. Can confirm it gets addicting pretty quickly. I'm no alcoholic but after waking up the next day I realized it was indeed fun, but also felt pretty bad. Next time I'll stick to non-alcoholic beverages or at least a glass of water in between drinks lol.

[@Lil_Luco]

@TheVirtualRealityShow if you want an interview with the guy punching the dudes belly let me know. That's a great clip for my discord 🤣

[@fordawin1417]

Been hospitalized for drinking irl. I think its harder to say no in person, but a lot of people value the safety of their own room for vr. Remember than drinking limits depend on your diet, size, and water consumption.

[@emi_miku8070]

I never liked drinking, drinking have destroyed most of my life and I always seen it as bad. It’s hard to go places and see and hear people drink, but people on her have helped me cope and heal. It’s very 50/50 with dinking with me but Vrchat has helped me a lot with it

[@snowfox8028]

I'm an alcohol historian and collector , And i love going in vr and having a few drinks from time to time, The key is from time to time, If your drinking buddies are trying to push you over your limit or comfort zone they are not your friends, Real drinking buddies do not egg someone on to the point they don't know where they are in there own home, And to those reading this step up when you see someone trying to push someone to drink more, Alcohol is an adult drink and as adults it's our job to act when we see something unsafe and irresponsible, Just like at a bar know your limits and speak up when something is not right, We can all have a fun time in vr be us drunk or dry, And always respect peoples choice to be dry.

[@LegoSwordViedos]

I've never drank and I don't really plan to. But I have lots of my friends trying to pressure me into it at times. My father died from alcoholism, my aunt was an alcoholic and committed suicide, my grandfather was acaholic and was abusive to my father. So it seems a pretty clear family history that my family can not responsibly use alcohol and I've tried to explain this to my friends. And my life is very bad and I feel I would become dependent on it or self destructive. let alone I'm very poor so I can't afford it. I should also say I've suffered from depression near my whole life, I was diagnosed with it when I was 7 with actual clinical depression, not "I feel sad" so I say I'm depressed sort of thing that is common for people to say. Though After getting into a relationship with a really loving and caring person who I also feel is like my best friend, my depression is very much reduced to at times I almost feel like it's gone, I still get sad at times because my life is hard, or hard days at work and such etc. But most days, I actually feel like a normal person or how I think a normal person should feel not living 15 years through the eyes of depression. And so i feel now I could safely and responsibly drink, and I have at times wanted to try some different things to see what it's like, if it's sake or a nice wine or meed etc, I'd like to at least try them, but my real worry is what if I like it to much, what if my drinking friends pressure me more into it. And one who is well they have money to burn is often asking people to take shots with them, and what if I can't afford it, but I'm to drunk to know I'm spending to much or drinking to much. And then I don't feel it will happen but what if I loose my relationship, or what if I start drinking and it causes them to leave, or what if they leave and it causes me to drink. So while I'd like to try it.. I just feel like I shouldn't.

[@ShadowsOfReach]

They opened that world (drinking night) to quest users... and now kids with hastily bought quests are going to be exposed to it too. I have been drunk a couple times in VRchat and each time has been stemming from a drinking game they call "Shitty" or "Shiddy". Though the biggest culprit is the unspoken rule of "Cheers", people are encouraged to drink whatever they got when someone says cheers and drinks Another note is people will take advantage of a drunk person if they dislike them. A friend and i were drunk and i was helping him through a breakdown when the bff of his ex hopped in (friend of another friend) and proceeded to just flat out harass him. Dude was already in tears before then...

[@Curv0987]

Every time I get on the Oculus, it seems I have a drink in my hand. I'm about to go into rehab soon my alcoholism has gotten so bad. Thank you for making this video and bringing awareness to the matter.

[@gopherchucksgamingnstuff2263]

Oh yeah, 7 years in VR, and I noticed it kind of negates some of the less pleasant parts of being pissed. That is why they come back 10 fold when you take it off. I found weed has some cool benefits in VR too.

[@paolaanimator]

I'm not much of a drinker, I'd try out drinks but they're usually bitter. I prefer sweet drinks. I usually drink water, apple juice, tea, smoothies etc. because I'm trying to take care of myself and be healthy. I may try out fruit flavored alcohol drinks one day, I heard they're pretty good. I chatted with someone in VR and they recommended me fruity drinks, it seems to fit my sweet tooth. Stay safe everyone and happy drinking, alcohol or non-alcohol.

[@LingieVR]

Clarity is 100% on the nose about trust in VR. The stigmas of upper level trust users is true, and it's widespread. I used to idolize the idea of finally "getting purple," then I even hit Veteran, and now I see how many people around me want to actively avoid Trusted, and sometimes known users (and Veteran and Legendary at that, RIP those ranks though.), and they're avoided for always being in private, never in public, stuck to their same few friends, and frankly they're often times enablers. Maybe not on purpose, maybe it's a group enabling mentality, but it's not healthy. Trust is a good thing, but VRC's trust is a measurement of some really negative connotations as well.

[@shawnaltman5969]

I used to hang out with a group that peer pressured me into drinking, after some bad experiences though i started taking shots of water to make it look like i was drinking more than i was until i eventually left the group

[@SneakyCrocodile]

The main deterrent for me is the amount of pissing you have to do to get drunk at least if you drink something tasty that isn't basically pure alcohol like a shot. Now this may seem like a small problem, but having to constantly take off the VR headset is a pain. As I hate going out this still seems like the best way to drink, but I still won't drink more. Also at first I thought the drinking world was just a normal world with a bar vibe since drinking in VR seems inconvenient in many ways, just different to real world inconveniences.