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Can You Drink on Twitch? Rules for Your Channel

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For millennia, people have been entertaining each other over ale, beer, and wine. Whether by telling stories around the campfire, playing poker, or singing and dancing, alcohol has been a staple to make things just a little easier - unless people go overboard.

As there are guidelines and laws around drinking, many people wonder about the Twitch alcohol policy. Can people drink while they live stream? How far can a drunk stream go?

This post will answer these questions so you know what you can do on Twitch.

Can You Drink Alcohol On Twitch?

Twitch streamers are allowed to drink alcohol during their streams as long as they are of the legal drinking age in their respective county. However, Twitch specifically states that a dangerous consumption of alcohol is against their terms and conditions. This means enjoying a beer or two on stream is perfectly fine but drinking excessively could result in a temporary or permanent ban.

Twitch Alcohol Policy

While there is no rule against being drunk on stream Twitch reserves the right to suspend any account at any time for any conduct that they determine hurtful or harmful. This means if you are heavily intoxicated and you are a danger to yourself you are in breach of their guidelines. 

drink thumbs up

Drinking games can be a great way to engage with your community. So while it’s fine to be drunk on stream if you are serious about your brand and growing your channel it may not be worth the risk.

Another thing you should consider is that alcohol will suppress your inhibitions. Inebriation could potentially result in you acting out other bannable behavior, such as inappropriate speech, intimidation, discrimination, denigration, objectification, harassment, and nudity. You might also be more likely to perform stunts that could result in a ban due to dangerous behavior. 

How to Run a Successful Drinking Stream

The best drinking streams are when alcohol isn’t the main focus of your content. Try integrating drinking into an event such as a casual discord game night with friends or a cosplay stream.

Here are three other things you can do when running a drinking stream:

  1. Should You Accept Donations for Drinking Shots?

    Drinking for rewards and incentives is not against the rules but different Twitch mods perceive “harmful conduct” differently. In past years Twitch staff have been divided on the topic. For this reason, we wouldn’t recommend hosting events of this nature.

  2. Should You Play Drinking Games on Twitch?

    Playing drinking games is fine provided they don’t reach a point of excessive drinking. Drinking games are common across the platform and are a big hit with viewers. Keep your games simple and easy to follow. 

    Here are some ideas for games:

    • Drink every time you die in a game, or choose another event. You can also keep count using a chatbot.
    • Incorporate a wheel spinner to keep things interesting. Periodically spin the wheel to change your drink or the reason you need to take a drink.
  3. Set Stream for a Mature Audience

    Make sure to mark your streams for mature audiences. Don’t influence kids to drink or smoke. While you have very little control over who stumbles into your stream, do what you can to prevent underage viewers from watching.

    Many streamers do their best to ensure that minors are not on their stream if they engage in anything they deem to be “adult” content. In fact, some go as far as banning a viewer from their channel to protect them from their content. While this is clearly a channel-by-channel basis, it is important to remember that ToS states that children under the age of 13 should not be on Twitch.

Conclusion

Remember that you need to know your limits and don’t go overboard. While you are allowed to drink on Twitch, excessive drinking may be seen as self-harm if you pass out or do something stupid. Don’t drink for donations and stay safe. 

About the Author

Chris

Chris is a digital marketer with a strong background in small business and influencer branding. He applies his knowledge of content and promotional strategies to design actionable advice for new and intermediate streamers. When he’s not busy crunching analytics, he can be found in the salt pits of League of Legends.

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