Vodka bet binge kills student, 19

A STUDENT died of alcohol poisoning after pals challenged him to a £40 bet to down an almost full bottle of vodka.

Jason Venezia, 19, was dared to sink three-quarters of a litre at a rate of one shot every 45 seconds.

Twenty minutes later he had polished off half a litre in 15 shots and was so drunk he couldn’t stand or speak properly, an inquest heard yesterday.

Friends carried him to bed and checked on him every 15 minutes for two hours to make sure he did not choke on his own vomit.

But Jason, who was in his first year studying psychology at Warwick University, was found dead from acute alcohol poisoning at 2pm the next day.

His blood contained an incredible 499mg of alcohol — more than SIX TIMES the drink-drive limit of 80mg.

The inquest came four days after the BBC screened shocking footage of University of Gloucestershire students taking part in a Nazi-style drinking initiation.

Jason’s heartbroken parents, Ennio and Joan Venezia, from Solihull, West Midlands, demanded a ban on boozing games and called for the legal age for drinking to be raised from 18 to 21.

Mum Joan, 54, said: “Jason was not a heavy drinker. It’s hard to believe one night out with his friends led to this.

“Students need to know that their drinking games can lead to sudden death. Jason’s death is a devastating loss that we are struggling to come to terms with. We miss him deeply.”

Coventry coroner Sean McGovern said Jason died from alcohol misuse. Recording a misadventure verdict, he added: “We hope lessons will be learned, but it happens all the time.”