Dangerous Social Media Trend Has People Eating Rotten Meat to ‘Get High’

There have been some dangerous social media trends in the past (who remembers teens eating Tide Pods?)—and some pretty questionable diet trends (hello, keto diet), but this new one may take the cake. If you have a weak stomach—beware!

We’re just going to get right into it and try not to gag: People are apparently eating rotten meat. Why? As a means to “get high.” Yes, that means buying a piece of meat, and then letting it rot for several months (and in some cases, even a year!) before eating it, and then consuming it and feeling a flood of happiness (before likely getting sick).

The more rotten the better—apparently. Once the meat is at peak rancid, you eat the meat and supposedly develop a euphoric “high” feeling from it.

While eating “high meat” has actually been around for a while, with a few Reddit boards discussing the trend, it recently surged after a series of tweets brought it to the public’s attention. The culprit: Twitter user @superloafcat, who posted screenshots of someone else discussing the concept of high meat in a positive light.

“Losing my mind over this,” he captioned the photo.

It wasn’t long before others began to become intrigued—mostly disgustedly.

“There ARE safe ways to eat raw meat, in many Eastern countries raw meat is commonly consumed. But this ‘high meat’ crap is dangerous AF,” someone posted.

“I can only imagine the smell. Holy god in heaven that must be RANCID,” another quipped.

Many of the comments mimicked this sentiment.

But alas, there are still people going along with it as if there won’t be any consequences. However, experts warn against consuming meat this rotten.

“There’s all sorts of bacteria—salmonella, shigella, E. coli—all of these things that our human body might really struggle with breaking down,” says Naras Lapsys, a Singapore-based consultant dietitian.

Shocker!

In addition, consuming raw meat can cause food poisoning, uncontrollable and uncomfortable bowel movements, intestinal damage, vomiting, dehydration and even botulism.

In fact, that high feeling people are receiving from eating rancid meat? It’s likely due to a variety of bacteria present inside.

Do us and everyone a favor—stick with raw and fermented meats that are safe to eat—like salami, for instance! Add some cheeses and crackers and you’ll have your own happy feelings, we’re sure.

Have you ever heard of this trend of eating raw, rotten meat before—or know anyone who’s tried it? What do you think of this trend?