[Q]Smoking Alcohol

On March 08 2013 09:21 FreshZerg wrote:
Recently I have read an article on AWOL (alcohol without liquid) or smoking alcohol. And there are a dozen YT videos you can view on people doing it. And it does work, and has some pros:
No hangover, no calories, works faster (obviously), costs less, etc.

I want to know what the cons are. I tried googling the topic, and I can find nothing. (google actually just searches for cigs and alc even when I type "Smoking alcohol".
Since this is a relatively new phenomenon with the Vaportini machines and what not, I assume that the science and papers haven't had any clinical research yet? I even went as far as to calling loveline and Dr. Drew didn't really even answer my question and just said not to do it; in the same way that you shouldn't do butt chugs or tampons in vodka or whatever.

Does anyone have any info on this? Any personal experience with it? I read there are bars/lounges in Europe that do this as well, can you use one of those new pen things that people use to smoke water vapors and herbs and hookah in for this?



PS- When you take a regular drink like vodka and pour it into the thing and pump the air in to inhale the vapor, how much of the alcohol comes out? Is the liquid still pretty high ABV? what percentage of it comes out? This topic is very interesting to me.

On March 08 2013 14:55 Elegy wrote:
just butt chug, rush pike!

s inhalable alcohol a good idea?

By Amanda Schaffer|Posted Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004, at 7:40 AM
Less filling, and looks stupid, too
Less filling, and looks stupid, too

After years of working in the "leisure oxygen field" marketing oxygen for salons and spas in the U.K., businessman Dominic Simler came up with a novel idea: Why not create a device that would allow users to inhale vaporized alcohol along with oxygen? The machine Simler invented, called Alcohol Without Liquid, or AWOL, which takes hard liquor and disperses it as vapor in an oxygen mist, has been available at a small number of bars in the U.K. for several months; recently, a Greensboro, N.C.-based company called Spirit Partners purchased an exclusive license to sell the machines in the United States. Simler touts his invention, which looks like a slightly futuristic asthma inhaler hooked to an oxygen generator, as a low-cal, low-carb way to enjoy liquor, with no hangover. The AWOL Web site, where machines are available for purchase, also suggests it for "private parties, weddings, and Bar or Bat Mitzvahs." Needless to say, the device has already raised a few eyebrows in public health and law enforcement circles, with several local politicians expressing downright alarm at the possibilities for abuse.

Is AWOL a potentially dangerous form of alcohol delivery or merely an intriguing novelty item? And given the political outcry, are we likely to see it in bars or lounges anytime soon?

First, it's important to understand the way inhalation affects the body. Normally, when you drink a glass of wine, say, or a shot of vodka, alcohol is absorbed over time, through the lining of your stomach and small intestine (roughly 10 percent to 15 percent in the stomach, 85 percent to 90 percent in the small intestine). The presence of food, especially starchy food, can slow this process further. When a shot of vodka or whiskey is poured into an AWOL machine and inhaled, however, alcohol enters the lungs and diffuses directly into the bloodstream, causing a much more rapid and potentially more intense buzz.

Part of what makes AWOL titillating is that it promises to deliver all the pleasures of alcohol with an irresistible twist—that is, none of the familiar downsides of drinking, such as calories and hangovers. Glowing commentary on the Web site promises, "Absolutely no side effects," and, "If you hate hangovers, you'll love this."

Unfortunately these marketing claims are dubious at best. Most of the calories in liquor come from ethanol, an alcohol that is present in all alcoholic beverages, liquid or vaporized. Ethanol enters the bloodstream following ingestion or inhalation and is broken down by the body, releasing roughly seven calories per gram (compared to nine calories/gram for fats and about four calories/gram for carbohydrates and proteins) in either case. Nor is a shot inhaled through the machine more "low-carb" than a regular one since hard liquor (in contrast to beer and wine) does not contain carbohydrates in the first place.

The issue of hangovers is trickier since there are several reasons they occur, including the presence of other substances called congeners (usually other alcohols, such as methanol, found especially in brandy and whisky); the effects of ethanol itself on the body; and the action of a fairly toxic substance called acetaldehyde, formed when ethanol is broken down in the liver. It is possible that some congeners would be left behind during AWOL's vaporization process and thus not ultimately inhaled. However, the many other factors that contribute to hangovers—dehydration, the disruption of electrolyte balances, and changes in sleep rhythms—are all caused by ethanol itself and would occur whether it was ingested or inhaled. Acetaldehyde, too, would be produced in either case since most ethanol in the blood is broken down by the liver. (Small amounts are also eliminated in urine and sweat and by exhalation.) All of which is to say that AWOL is unlikely to represent a milder, healthier alternative to old-fashioned drinking by ingestion.

In fact, depending on how much one inhales, the very opposite could be true. In particular, intensive inhalation may be more likely to cause alcohol toxicity than binge drinking. This is because vaporized alcohol, as it enters the bloodstream directly from the lungs, is not subject to the protective effects of the digestive system—notably, the impulse to vomit. The machine is apparently calibrated with this danger in mind—using AWOL, it takes 20 minutes to inhale the equivalent of one shot—and the company's promotional materials recommend no more than two sessions, or two shots, in a 24-hour period. Nonetheless, an enthusiast who exceeded this limit or tinkered with the amount delivered by the device itself could no doubt raise her blood alcohol level very dramatically.

Another serious risk is that the rapid rush of alcohol to the brain would make inhalation more addictive than regular drinking. Indeed, as Robert Swift, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School, told me, when researchers want to model alcohol addiction in rats—in order to study withdrawal and other phenomena—they often expose them to air mixed with vaporized alcohol. This method is useful because it's hard to get rats to drink liquid alcohol and also because the desired dependence is achieved extremely efficiently, sometimes in a matter of days: "It's a good way to addict animals," Swift said. And it would probably work for humans, too.

Whether for these reasons or for other, more reflexive ones, local New York politicians have been vocal in their opposition to AWOL. When Spirit Partners prepared to introduce the machine on Aug. 20—with a launch party at Trust, a trendy Manhattan lounge—several, including Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, sounded the alarm. The matter came, inevitably, to the attention of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who referred it to the NYS Liquor Authority, whose attorney warned Trust that it ought to think twice about the AWOL launch party. (As a result, the machine was demonstrated using fruit-infused water and Gatorade instead of alcohol.)

The legality of AWOL—at least for venues licensed to serve alcohol in New York state—seems to turn on two relatively obscure provisions of the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control law—a law enacted in 1934, shortly after the repeal of Prohibition (in 1933). According to Thomas McKeon, counsel to the State Liquor Authority, this law prohibits 1) separating alcohol from the rest of a mixture and 2) dispensing it from a container other than the one it came in. These are both provisions that AWOL appears to violate. (For hyperspecific formulations, check out Sections 153 and 106, respectively, of the ABC law.) While McKeon said that disciplinary action would be considered against any bars that offered AWOL to customers, his office could not stop individuals from buying the machine and using it at home. (At roughly $3,000 a unit, AWOL may not sell very well, but at the moment individuals are still free to purchase it.)


At this time, it is unclear what other states will have to say, if anything, about the device since liquor laws vary from state to state. (Spirit Partners plans to sell franchises in all 50 states.) It is also unclear whether the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would eventually become involved in regulation efforts, should sales from the Web site be significant. A new bill, however, introduced by state Sen. Patricia McGee and others, would ban the "sale, purchase or use of alcohol vaporizing devices" entirely in New York state; McGee argues that AWOL and similar devices "could potentially give rise to increases in alcohol abuse, underage drinking and drunk driving." It is not difficult to imagine lawmakers in other states proposing similar measures.

In other words, AWOL will probably not turn up at trendy lounges any time soon. Ultimately, though, the biggest issue may not be the device itself but the concept of inhaling alcohol in general—an idea that has been publicized by Spirit Partners' media campaign and, unwittingly, by the various agitated responses to it. As Swift told me, if people realize that this is "a good way to get high," they won't need an expensive, commercially made machine. They can make something at home for $5 or $10. The crowd we should probably worry about most, then, is the one that isn't legally allowed to drink alcohol in the first place.

New Inhaler Sends the Booze Straight to the Brain

For the first time in the history of mixed drinks, the next trendy cocktail is meant to be inhaled rather than swallowed. A rejiggered vaporizer may be the next nightclub fad, and you don't have to have croup to use it.

The "AWOL machine" -- no, that's not George W. Bush's National Guard nickname, it stands for "Alcohol Without Liquid" -- lets people breathe atomized shots of liquor via a plastic tube that resembles an asthma inhaler.

It's a similar idea to an oxygen bar, but AWOL provides an alcoholic kick that borders on "mild euphoria," according to its U.S. distributor, Spirit Partners of Greensboro, N.C.

Hedonists targeted

This "ultimate party toy... provides party goers and hedonists with a radical new way to consume alcohol," says the company's Web site (awolmachine. com). The company also claims the device prevents the ingestion of calories and minimizes hangover symptoms, although experts call those claims hogwash and say AWOL is more dangerous than drinking.

Kevin Morse, a North Carolina attorney who is the chief executive of Spirit Partners, did not respond to requests for comment.

AWOL was invented by Dominic Simler, a former aromatherapy salesman in England who is marketing AWOL in Europe and Asia. In the United States , AWOL premiered in August at a party in Manhattan, although questions about its legality forced a last- minute substitution of fruit- infused water for the 80- proof alcohol recommended for the device. Spirit Partners says it is seeking distributors in all 50 states.

With all the sophistication of a Viagra spam, Spirit Partners' Web site boasts of the "very reliable and outrageous income" available to AWOL distributors and the many occasions at which entertaining with an AWOL machine is appropriate, such as "private parties, weddings and bar or bat mitzvahs."

The machines, which are about the size of a briefcase and weigh 60 pounds, sell for $2,595 with two attached inhalers or $2,895 with four inhalers.

But legal and health concerns are slowing AWOL's spread.

After the Manhattan launch, lawmakers in two New York counties and New York state proposed bans on the machines. As it happens, AWOL doesn't appear to be legal in New York anyway because of a law that prevents alcohol from being sold in any container other than the original. ("Put that carafe down, ma'am, and put your hands up.")

Here in California, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says it regulates drinks, not devices, so it does not oversee AWOL machines. But ABC staff are talking to citizens' groups and other agencies about taking action if the machines arrive in California and appear to be a problem, says spokesman Pat Deasy.

"We haven't yet concluded whether it's harmful," he says, although Spirit Partners' health claims raise a "red flag." ABC is prepared to work with the state attorney general or legislators if necessary, Deasy says.

Given the large supply of liquor in this country that is readily abused the old-fashioned way, is breathing it really a big a deal?

Health experts say yes, because inhaling sends a larger and purer dose of alcohol to the brain by bypassing the liver and other organs. Inhaling also prevents the body from purging itself through vomiting, since there isn't any alcohol in the stomach to expel.

"I'm concerned that there is potential for greater abuse" than with drinking because "by inhaling alcohol you can get pretty high, and a lot quicker," says Dr. Robert Swift, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School in Rhode Island.

The lungs have a huge surface area, with only one layer of cells separating inhaled air from the blood supply. Swift estimates that 25 percent of the alcohol that's inhaled goes directly to the brain, foregoing the dilution that would occur if it circulated through the stomach, intestine, liver and the right ventricle of the heart.

"That's why people prefer to smoke drugs instead of taking them other ways," he says. "The brain experiences more of a rush."

The evidence is mixed, though, about the intensity of AWOL.

The machines are calibrated to release one shot over 20 minutes and the company recommends no more than two sessions per day.

Simler told the Sunday Times he once inhaled absinthe for an hour and couldn't stand up for three hours afterward. Absinthe is a potent liquor that is illegal in the United States.

Morse expects to sell most of the machines for use in homes, which would lack even the modicum of control exerted by bar staff. "Maybe the largest market of all is the guy or gal who has to have all the big boy's toys," says Spirit Partners' Web site.

On the other hand, a bar in New Jersey returned its AWOL machine after four days because it didn't provide enough of a kick, Steve Baskinger, owner of Bask Bar and Grill in West Paterson, told the Associated Press.

"They shouldn't waste their breath trying to outlaw this machine," says Baskinger, who charged barflies $10 per shot. "You can't get drunk ... It takes 20 minutes to inhale a quarter of a shot."

Swift believes the greatest danger is not the machine, but any popularization of boiling and inhaling alcohol. He says he knows of at least one enterprising college chemistry student who hooked up a contraption to do just that.

Spirit Partners' health claims appear both dubious and misleading. It markets inhaling as a "low carbohydrate" way to ingest spirits, but pure alcohol, whether liquid or vaporized, does not contain carbs.

The low-calorie claim is completely false; alcohol has the same number of calories no matter how it enters the body, says Swift.

There are several theories about the causes of hangover, including that symptoms such as headache are caused by alcohol withdrawal or toxic methanol. Neither of those would be minimized by inhaling, Swift says.

A third theory is that a substance called acetaldehyde, which is chemically similar to the embalming fluid formaldehyde, may cause headache by building up in the liver during alcohol intake.

Since less alcohol passes through the liver with AWOL, the effects of acetaldehyde may be reduced, says Swift. However, the interruption of sleep patterns caused by alcohol remain the same.

Questionable health claims like these often attract the attention of false advertising watchdogs, but the AWOL machine appears to fall through the regulatory cracks.

Who is regulating AWOL?

U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Crystal Rice says her agency does not have jurisdiction over beverage alcohol and related products, which is left to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

But TTB spokesman Art Resnick says his agency doesn't have jurisdiction either. After the AWOL launch, a TTB laboratory analyzed one of the devices to determine if it was a still, which would have triggered TTB oversight. But the machine isn't a still, it's simply a vaporizer.

Spirit Partners is "not advertising an alcoholic beverage and they're not a regulated industry member, so therefore we don't have jurisdiction to pursue it," says Resnick.

However, he notes that many state laws could prevent the sale of AWOL machines. In addition to rules like New York's container law, North Carolina, Spirit Partners' home state, is among the states that ban "huffing" -- the abuse of inhalants -- says Resnick. AWOL qualifies as huffing.

Equal time: I made fun of our president at the beginning of this column, so in the good-natured spirit of bipartisanship that dominates this election season, I will end with a Kerry joke:

John Kerry walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Why the long face?"

- SF Gate Chronicle

On March 08 2013 12:01 Grobyc wrote:
But.. but.. then you don't enjoy the drinking of the beverage and it takes away from the social aspect :/

On March 08 2013 17:04 MarlieChurphy wrote:
This site is talking about inhaling isopropyl alcohol (which is an entirely different thing, right?). http://www.livestrong.com/article/150516-side-effects-of-inhaling-isopropyl-alcohol/

found this too, maybe biased info though http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2004/09/vaporize_me.html


and this
http://www.inreview.com/archive/topic/26296.html




so the acetaldehyde note in this article is interesting. Asians and native americans get red because they do not metabolize this as efficiently or at all when compared to other races. Now I have to get my asian friends to try it and see if they turn red.

Here are a couple more articles:
http://servingalcohol.com/blog/uncategorized/35-device-lets-inhale-alcohol-sale/

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/5/3/363

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262311/Parents-horror-new-35-device-lets-INHALE-alcohol-goes-sale-U-S.html