Drinkin' Just Ain't Enough...

     Hey, Family… How are you doing?  Hope you are staying on the healthy road…  I just wanted to talk to you today about something that I just heard about a few days ago.  I thought you should be aware that there is some new, crazy mess on the horizon that teens and adults are trying.  Why?  I guess for the “get high”.  Why come?  Don’t ask me.  I guess drinkin' just ain't enough...  

     Smoking alcohol is a fairly new way to get intoxicated.  That’s right.  We don’t have enough crap to smoke, and we needed a new way to get the alcohol in.  So, we went through the “butt chugging” phase (if you don’t know, goggle it) and the alcohol tampon (once again, if you don't know, google it).    Those methods were getting people drunk too fast and in some cases killing folks.  So now we have taken on smoking the alcohol.  What’s that, you ask?

     Smoking alcohol involves vaporizing alcohol in either dry ice or through a special device (a plastic bottle) that incorporates a bike pump or straws.   Basically, the alcohol is poured into a bottle, the bottle is then corked, and the bicycle pump needle is poked through the cork.  Then you pump air into the bottle through the cork.  When the air in the bottle vaporizes, the user inhales the smoke.  You get the same effect as drinking alcohol, but it happens much faster and so some  say, without the calories that you would get in consuming an alcoholic beverage.   Just to let you know, the research is still out on the calorie issue.

     The reality is, when you smoke alcohol, it goes straight to your brain, blood, and lungs.  There is no metabolizing by your liver or digestive system.  That is why you get the “feeling” so fast.  Problem is you also can get alcohol poisoning which can lead to death, fast.  Remember, the alcohol is not going to your stomach, so you will not vomit.  You do realize  that vomiting helps get rid of the alcohol.  Also, when using the “dry ice” method, the extreme cold temperature of the dry ice can cause damage to your nostrils, lungs, and throat.  Remember, dry ice is used to KEEP THINGS COLD…

      According to Susan Smolinske, Director of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Regional Poison Control Center, another danger in smoking alcohol is, although the effect is quick, the rush goes away quickly and many users may take in more alcohol vapors than their bodies can handle.  The users may inhale every 20 minutes, not realizing that although the feeling has left the brain, the alcohol is still in their system.  This trend seems to be picking up steam in the bar scene, being called a Vaportini, and at this point in time is legal in all 50 states.  

     Maybe folks should just think about sticking to throwing back a shot or two or sipping on a nice glass of wine, or maybe just having a coke and a smile…  SMOOCHES...