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Americans grappling with Election Day anxiety come up with creative plans and drinking games
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Americans grappling with Election Day anxiety come up with creative plans and drinking games

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Tensions are high in the United States right now – although many would prefer to simply ignore it. With Election Day Anxiety Reaches Crushing PeakAmericans have come up with creative coping mechanisms to get through this at least Tuesday night.

While it is it is unlikely that a clear favorite will emerge on the evening the elections close (it took four days in 2020), the internet is full of ideas for dealing with the fallout.

Some probably Healthier options exist: meditate, go to church to pray, talk to crisis line volunteers, spend time with furry friends, or participate in a therapeutic activity like painting or watching calming videos.

But if you’ve decided that Election Day will be your day of indulgence, there are plenty of ideas for bingo drinking. Here are a few we’ve seen circulating – only to be used legally, responsibly and with a designated driver, of course.

Choose a drinking game…responsibly

It’s pretty easy to make a game that involves watching the results happen. Select a drink of your choice, gather a few rules like one sip for certain keywords, one shot for certain status results, etc.

If you’re not feeling particularly imaginative, other creatives have already established their own rules to follow. For a personalized experience, choose what you like and put it all together Frankenstein-style.

Account @liquorstore352 on TikTok, for example, where creator “Liquor Store Bro” has made several viral drinking game videos for other events like the Super Bowl, laid out his rules for election night, which include drinking a non-alcoholic beer if Donald Trump wins one of the 43 non-swing states and a sip of wine if Kamala Harris does.

For the seven swing states, however, things get a little heavier with a glass of Fireball whiskey for a Trump victory or a glass of Rumple Minze Schnapps for a Harris victory.

On some platforms like Etsy or just Google, you can find pre-prepared and printable Election Day drinking game sheets. In one purchased on Etsy and shared on TikTok, the rules are described as taking a sip or two or finishing your drink based on certain buzzwords or events that come up in media coverage.

Someone saying “battleground state” is one sip, for example, a newscaster explaining that the electoral college is two sips, and your favorite candidate winning a state is finishing your drink.

Users of other social platforms have created their own lists, also encouraging drinking after certain developments or when certain words are said. A game suggests having a drink every time a news anchor says “too close to call” and two gulps “every time Florida or Pennsylvania are specifically highlighted.” However, you can only try your luck when the race is announced.

If that’s not intense enough for you and your peers, another game shared by users onformerly Twitter, goes straight to alcohol shots. If you drink hard liquor every time someone mispronounces Kamala or, better yet (worse?), a double for every time Trump says “cheat.” With this one, you might want to make sure you’re not scheduled for a morning shift on Wednesday.

Some more “official” avenues also offer their own boozy bingo sheets and cocktail ideas, including the New York Post, The free pressTHE Phoneix New Times, Slate Magazine and even some of us at USA TODAY – if you are ready to do it reuse certain debate ideas, anyway.

As your mother probably told you, drinking a lot isn’t necessarily a good solution to a problem. However, just one night during a historic election we can let slide – just be sure to follow along good tips to prevent hangovers before you go to bed tonight.