Television channel News 18 out of Lafayette, Indiana recently carried a story warning local viewers about the potential hazards of a new way to get drunk. It’s not a new type of alcoholic beverage, but instead is a new method of consuming the alcohol. In fact, it does not involve drinking at all. Instead the individual who employs this means of alcohol consumption breathes the alcohol, which makes it possible to get far more intoxicated in a much shorter period of time.
The product is sold under the brand name of Vaportini, and it has made headlines in Indiana and throughout the world as it hit the market in recent months. While some news reports express curiosity about this novel new device, many others including the one out of Lafayette also raise questions over its safety and the possibility that it could have harmful effects both for the individual user and for the general public in terms of alcohol related accidents.
The idea behind the Vaportini is a simple one. Users pour a small amount of alcohol — typically a shot of vodka or other type of hard liquor — into a glass globe about the size of a grapefruit. The globe is then set atop a regular pint glass, at the bottom of which is a votive candle which has been lit. Heat from the flame then causes the alcohol to reach the point of vaporizing — it’s “boiling point” is significantly lower than the 212 degrees for water — with the result that alcohol fumes are released.
The user breathes in the fumes through a straw which is inserted in the Vaportini globe. Because the alcohol does not have to be digested in the stomach in liquid form but instead goes straight to the lungs, it reaches the bloodstream quickly and produces an almost immediate sense of intoxication. People who use the Vaportini are able to get drunk — if the word ‘drunk’ can correctly be used in the context of breathing alcohol — with relatively small amounts of alcohol. As a result, Vaportini users are reported as being able to avoid some of the negative consequences associated with a night of heavy drinking, such as not having to wake up the next morning with a heavy hangover.
Questions About The Safety Of Vaportini
Since the Vaportini is still relatively new, it is too early to say whether these claims are true or to determine whether or not it is actually safe to use. One of the major concerns that can be raised in connection with it is that if people are able to get drunk faster, easier and at less expense than by drinking, there may be higher rates of drinking and driving and the accidents and deaths which this causes. Further, many of the news reports on Vaportini have included quotes from doctors, such as one from a university in Indiana who stated that breathing alcohol vapors may increase the risk of becoming alcohol dependent. Whereas approximately 85 percent of liquid alcohol is absorbed into the liver, nearly 100 percent of vaporized alcohol makes it into the bloodstream, which is capable of producing a far more powerful effect.
There have not yet been any scientific studies conducted on the subject of the effects of breathing alcohol among humans, research has indicated that rats — whose physiology of drug and alcohol addiction is remarkably similar to humans — experience significantly higher rates of alcohol addiction after consuming it in its vaporized form. Until further investigation has been performed on the matter, urge your friends and family members to stay away from the Vaportini as a measure to protect their health and safety.
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Source: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2013/09/vaportini_smoking_inhaling_alcohol_dangerous.php
