Trend Among the Calorie-Conscious Experts
New York Daily News ^
In an effort to gain a greater buzz for fewer calories, some young drinkers are inhaling their liquor - either pouring it over dry ice or 'freebasing' it and sucking up the vapors. Either way, going around the stomach and liver is incredibly risky, doctors say. Allen isn't the only one inhaling his drink. A smattering of YouTube videos depicts the trend mostly among young men, some of whom boast about the extreme nature of the high. In January, Chicago bar Red Kiva hosted a "freebasing alcohol" event featuring a device called the Vaportini, which retails for $30 plus shipping. Users heat a small amount of alcohol in a glass ball over a tea light, then suck the resulting vapors through a straw. Inhaling alcohol is an insidious trend, particularly among college students who may be looking for more extreme ways to get high, said Dr. Harris Stratyner, regional clinical vice president of Caron Treatment Centers in New York. He has also seen it gain popularity among college-age men and women who may restrict calories before a night of partying - what's popularly known as "drunkorexia." Whether it's "smoked" using dry ice or inhaled as a vapor, consuming alcohol in this way is "unbelievably dangerous," Stratyner said. YouTube videos like this clip from Nub TV depict young men attempting the trend and reveling in the 'extreme' high. "When you inhale alcohol, it goes directly into the lungs and circumnavigates the liver," he told the Daily News. "The liver is what metabolizes alcohol, but when you inhale it, it goes directly from the lungs to the brain." The lungs and mucous membranes are extremely sensitive to alcohol, Stratyner said, and inhaling alcoholic vapor may dry out the nasal passages and mouth, leaving users more vulnerable to infection. Additionally, inhaling alcohol can lead to deadly alcohol poisoning more readily than sipping your drink. "One of the things that prevents alcohol poisoning is that you usually vomit," Stratyner said. "When you circumvent the stomach and go straight to the lungs, you don't have that ability." Stratyner first saw the trend pop up in 2004 and said it has escalated in the past year and a half. "This is a stupid, highly dangerous thing to do," he said. "The fact that youngsters in particular can purchase the equipment for a relatively cheap price...this has to be made illegal."
New York Daily News ^
In an effort to gain a greater buzz for fewer calories, some young drinkers are inhaling their liquor - either pouring it over dry ice or 'freebasing' it and sucking up the vapors. Either way, going around the stomach and liver is incredibly risky, doctors say. Allen isn't the only one inhaling his drink. A smattering of YouTube videos depicts the trend mostly among young men, some of whom boast about the extreme nature of the high. In January, Chicago bar Red Kiva hosted a "freebasing alcohol" event featuring a device called the Vaportini, which retails for $30 plus shipping. Users heat a small amount of alcohol in a glass ball over a tea light, then suck the resulting vapors through a straw. Inhaling alcohol is an insidious trend, particularly among college students who may be looking for more extreme ways to get high, said Dr. Harris Stratyner, regional clinical vice president of Caron Treatment Centers in New York. He has also seen it gain popularity among college-age men and women who may restrict calories before a night of partying - what's popularly known as "drunkorexia." Whether it's "smoked" using dry ice or inhaled as a vapor, consuming alcohol in this way is "unbelievably dangerous," Stratyner said. YouTube videos like this clip from Nub TV depict young men attempting the trend and reveling in the 'extreme' high. "When you inhale alcohol, it goes directly into the lungs and circumnavigates the liver," he told the Daily News. "The liver is what metabolizes alcohol, but when you inhale it, it goes directly from the lungs to the brain." The lungs and mucous membranes are extremely sensitive to alcohol, Stratyner said, and inhaling alcoholic vapor may dry out the nasal passages and mouth, leaving users more vulnerable to infection. Additionally, inhaling alcohol can lead to deadly alcohol poisoning more readily than sipping your drink. "One of the things that prevents alcohol poisoning is that you usually vomit," Stratyner said. "When you circumvent the stomach and go straight to the lungs, you don't have that ability." Stratyner first saw the trend pop up in 2004 and said it has escalated in the past year and a half. "This is a stupid, highly dangerous thing to do," he said. "The fact that youngsters in particular can purchase the equipment for a relatively cheap price...this has to be made illegal."
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