There is a new way to get drunk. ‘Smoking’ alcohol is becoming a worrying trend and is not unique to young adventure lovers. Many people who are trying to lose weight for instance have turned to this new alcohol delivery system as none of the empty calories from a pint or shot are consumed. Some users are pouring the alcohol over dry ice and inhaling, others are building crude devices from bicycle pumps to smoke a bottle of spirits. In 2004 there was a device put on the market called the ‘Alcohol Without Liquid’. Fortunately, soon after it’s creation it was banned by the U.S. Government.
Because of the fact that smoking alcohol bypasses the stomach and liver, it delivers a strong intoxication because the booze has not lost any of it’s potency. Since the liquor remains in the bottle it is also very hard to determine just how much alcohol your body has ingested, leading to a much higher chance of overdose.
To get drunk, people are getting creative. But a new form of drinking, known as “smoking” alcohol, has doctors concerned.
Whatever happened to taking shots? Any sort of excessive drinking is dangerous, be it via beer bongs or pouring shots into the eye socket. But now some drinkers are taking it even further and “smoking” alcohol. The questionable practice, which has potentially scary consequences, has various permutations.
Drinking in any form can be dangerous, but users of this new trend are at an increased risk as many cases of alcohol smoking are not well documented, or studied. While the concept of smoking alcohol is not limited to younger drinkers, there are numerous videos of the act being posted on popular video websites like YouTube. Due to the lack of data and understanding concerning the trend, it is advisable that people avoid this method of consumption, as the side effects are equally if not more severe than the traditional drink served at a club or bar.
