For centuries, alcohol has been a popular drink across the communities˳ However, the substance, it seems, isn’t giving enough high to some as they have been taking to innovative and more dangerous ways of consuming alcohol˳ One such bizarre way is smoking alcohol, which might even prove to be fatal˳
An article published in the Time magazine in 2013 elaborates the way alcohol is smoked˳ “An individual can pour alcohol over dry ice and inhale it directly or with a straw, or make a DIY vaporizing kit using bike pumps˳ The alcohol of choice is poured into a bottle, the bottle is corked, and the bicycle pump needle is poked through the top of the cork˳ Air is pumped into the bottle to vaporize the alcohol, and the user inhales,” it says˳
Ban on alcohol without liquid
Many drinkers, particularly youths, lapped up the technique to enjoy their favorite alcoholic drink˳ However, the authorities in the United States realized its threat and banned the AWOL (alcohol without liquid) practice in the country˳
The AWOL technique involves taking alcohol in vapor form mixing it with oxygen˳ People then inhale the resulting substance via a special machine which comprises a diffuser and one or more delivery tubes˳
“If you walked into Chicago’s Red Kiva lounge one night last year, you probably would have thought you had stepped into a Hookah bar by mistake,” an article published in the Cosmopolitan magazine in 2014 says˳ There would be youngsters, mostly in their 20s and 30s, flocking around tables with a small and sleek device, known as Vaportini˳ They take turns and breathe vapors of liquor from it, the magazine reported˳
Alcoholism and America
Alcoholism is a major problem in the U˳S˳ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive drinking was responsible for one in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20 to 64˳ The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were estimated at $249 billion, or $2˳05 a drink˳
Rehab facilities in America, like the alcohol rehabilitation centers, are often full of patients trying to get rid of their addiction˳
With a relatively newer and lethal technique of consuming alcohol, the threat only gets bigger˳ Viral video clips of alcohol smoking on the web are only adding fuel to the fire˳ Teenagers are more attracted by these gimmicks on the internet˳ They ignore the fact that smoking alcohol is more poisonous and damaging to lungs than drinking˳
“Drinkers feel the effects almost instantly, but the risks are also much higher˳ People who smoke their alcohol are at a much greater risk of getting alcohol poisoning and potentially overdosing˳ When people drink too much alcohol, they tend to vomit˳ Getting sick is one of the ways that prevents an alcohol overdose, but when alcohol circumvents the stomach and liver, the body can’t expel it,” the Time article titled “Smoking Alcohol: The Dangerous Way People Are Getting Drunk” says˳
Ironically, some people glorify AWOL as they believe they are receiving the benefits of alcohol without putting on weight˳ Alcohol has the potential to make people put on weight˳ Apart from other health hazards, this method of consuming alcohol also predisposes people to a higher risk of lung infections such as pneumonia, or pneumonitis – an inflammatory condition in the lungs˳
Parents, elders and others should keep a tab on children and teens to prevent abuse of alcohol, particularly using this technique˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Smoking-Alcohol—The-New-Age-Scourge&id=9368760
