People will do anything if they think it will make them high or enhance the effects of a substance. At best, these attempts have no effect whatsoever; at worse, they’re very dangerous. One fad is known as smoking alcohol, which sounds like it should be impossible. In truth, what they’re doing is inhaling its vapors. This can be done by heating alcohol – imaging boiling a pot of vodka and standing over it to inhale the steam – or by pouring it over dry ice. It’s also possible to make a homemade device using a bike pump to inhale the alcohol. The liquid is poured into a bottle, the bottle is corked, and then the needle from the bicycle pump is stabbed through the top of the cork. Air is then pumped into the bottle to vaporize the alcohol, and the user inhales. Because the alcohol is being absorbed by the lungs, it reaches the brain and bloodstream almost instantly. This means you’ll feel the effects all at once.
It’s meant to turn what can be a high calorie beverage into something “healthy.” Per serving, here are the calorie counts for some popular drinks: champagne – 96 calories, vodka – 96 calories, gin – 96 calories, run – 97 calories, tequila – 104 calories, scotch – 105 calories, whiskey – 105 calories, light beer – 110 calories, white wine – 121 calories, red wine – 125 calories. These numbers increase exponentially when you’re talking about mixed drinks; for example, a serving of a margarita has 254 calories. Keep in mind that these serving sizes are significantly smaller than what most people drink at one time. A margarita that you order in a restaurant is likely to be 10 ounces, and a serving is 3.5 ounces. It’s clear why people trying to lose or maintain weight might want to avoid these calories, but does inhaling alcohol make it calorie-free? Unfortunately, no. People believe that because the digestive tract is bypassed, no calories are absorbed, but they are still there, whether you drink them or inhale them.
There are dangers to ingesting alcohol in this way. The heated liquid can cause lung irritation or injury, possibly leading to permanent damage. Also, one of the ways your body tries to protect you when you’ve had too much to drink is through vomiting, but when the alcohol never enters your stomach it can’t be expelled in this way, making alcohol poisoning much more likely.
Studies in rats have shown that alcohol inhalation leads to increasingly frequent alcohol-seeking behaviors, increases anxiety behaviors, can be addictive, can cause changes in the brain, and leads to the need for higher doses to produce the same drunk feeling. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome can also occur, leading to symptoms of anxiety, tremors, sweating, chills, and seizures.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504.
