Phoenix
A Phoenix man overdosed on prescription drugs while friends in an Internet chat room egged him on and watched on a Web cam, the New York Daily News reported this week. Brandon Vedas, 21, bragged he had a “high tolerance” for drugs. He apparently tried to prove it, urging online friends to log on to his Web site to watch him pop pills prescribed for depression. “Bottoms up!” he typed, as he downed pills with straight rum. Some in the chat room begged Vedas to stop; others dared him to keep going. “Eat more,” one urged. “I want to see if you survive.” Vedas’ messages stopped after he typed, “I told u I was hardcore.” His mother found him dead the next day.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
