Milk chugging

Milk chugging, or the gallon challenge, is the process of consuming a large amount of milk within a set period of time. Although there are variations in procedure, the general parameters are that a person is given 60 minutes to drink one US gallon (3.8 l; 0.8 imp gal) of whole milk without vomiting. A gallon milk jug is a common size of milk container in the United States.

The first recorded occurrences of competitive milk chugging date back to early 1997 where there are several explanations for the origins of the challenge. It certainly existed prior to that, however. American baseball pitcher Bill Lee mentioned the challenge in his autobiography The Wrong Stuff as one of the activities that relief pitchers used to pass the time in the bullpen as far back as the late 1960s. Undoubtedly, the most highly publicized competition was one that was featured in episode five of season two of the American television series Jackass, where Dave England and Ehren McGhehey were featured in a gallon challenge segment. Filmed in Portland, Oregon in 2000, contestants were to consume one gallon of milk in an hour in a variety of flavors, which resulted in each participant vomiting. In 1999 North Carolina legislators started a yearly milk-drinking contest to promote the dairy industry.

Milk chugging has gained popularity and a following in some countries, especially the United States. The fact that it is often presented as being "impossible", as well as media coverage of the challenge, may have led to the appeal among high school and college students, as well as celebrities.

The primary difficulty in completing the challenge lies in the limited capacity of the stomach. Generally, the stomach can hold only half a gallon (1.9 L). Stretch receptors in the organ sense when its limit is reached, triggering a vomit reflex that swiftly empties the stomach. Moreover, drinking a gallon of milk is more difficult than drinking a gallon of water. The fat and protein in milk each inhibit the stomach from releasing its contents into the small intestine, forcing more of the liquid to remain in the stomach.

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