Editing Alcohol inhalation

{{short description|Method of administering alcohol directly into the respiratory system}}
'''Alcohol inhalation''' is a method of administering [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] directly into the respiratory system, with aid of a [[vaporizer (inhalation device)|vaporizing]] or [[nebulizer|nebulizing]] device or bag. It is chiefly applied for [[recreational drugs|recreational use]], when it is also referred to as '''alcohol smoking''', but it has medical applications for testing on [[laboratory rats]], and treatment of [[pulmonary edema]] and viral pneumonia.  Depending on precise definition of ''alcohol'', ''botanical alcohol inhalation'' can be a subgenre of [[aromatherapy]].

==Methods==

===AWOL===
The practice gained popularity in 2004, with the marketing of a device dubbed AWOL (Alcohol without liquid), a play on the military term [[AWOL]] (Absent Without Leave).<ref name=slate>{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2004/09/vaporize_me.html |title=Vaporize Me |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |first=Amanda|last=Schaffer|date=September 8, 2004|access-date=January 23, 2014}}</ref> AWOL, created by British businessman Dominic Simler,<ref name=slate/> was first introduced in Asia and Europe and then in United States in August 2004. AWOL was used by nightclubs, at gatherings and parties, and it garnered attraction as a [[novelty]], as people 'enjoyed passing it around in a group'.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/3493487.stm |title=Inhaling alcohol may 'harm brain' |publisher=BBC |date= February 16, 2004}}</ref> 

AWOL was gimmicked as an alcohol "vaporizer", implying that it would heat the liquid until it entered a gaseous state, but is in fact a [[nebulizer]], a machine that agitates the liquid into an [[aerosol]].  AWOL's official website states that "AWOL and AWOL 1 are powered by ''Electrical Air Compressors'' while AWOL 2 and AWOL 3 are powered by ''electrical oxygen generators''",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awolspirit.com/purchasing.htm |title=AWOL Official page: AIR POWERED AWOL MACHINES |access-date=2014-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202111418/http://www.awolspirit.com/purchasing.htm |archive-date=2014-02-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which refer to mechanisms used by the device for facilitating inhalation. Although the AWOL machine is marketed as having no downsides, such as the lack of calories or hangovers, Amanda Shaffer of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' describes these claims as "dubious at best".<ref name=slate/> Although inhaled alcohol does reduce the caloric content, the savings are minimal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2013/06/smoking_alcohol_can_you_inhale_calories.html|title=Can You Inhale Calories?|last=Palmer|first=Brian|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=June 18, 2013|access-date=January 23, 2014}}</ref> 

After expressed safety and health concerns, sale or use of AWOL machines was [[#Regulation|banned]] in a number of American states.<ref name="nytimes2006">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/us/08whiskey.html?fta=y&_r=0|title=Citing Safety, States Ban Alcohol Inhalers|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=October 8, 2006|access-date=April 22, 2014}}</ref> The AWOL device was later followed by new products for alcohol inhalation, such as "Vaportini", created in 2009, which uses simple thermal vaporization.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.macleans.ca/2013/07/16/take-a-deep-breath-and-dont-drive/|title=Vaportini doesn't live up to the hype|last=Richler|first=Jacob|work=[[Maclean's]]|date=July 16, 2013|access-date=January 23, 2014}}</ref>

===Bag-in-box wines===
Some people attempt inhaling alcohol fumes from any container, including emptied [[bag-in-box]] wine bags. While these bags may only contain a residual amount of alcohol, inhaling the concentrated fumes can lead to rapid intoxication, even at low volumes. The intoxicating effect may be brief, lasting around a minute. However, the safety has not been scientifically researched so it may be riskful.

==Recreational use==
To inhale alcohol, it must be first converted from liquid into gaseous state (vapor) or [[aerosol]] (mist). For recreational use, a variety of methods have been invented. Alcohol can be vaporized by pouring it over [[dry ice]] in a narrow container and inhaling with a straw. However, this method must be used with caution due to the large amounts of [[carbon dioxide]] released. Another method is to pour alcohol in a corked bottle with a pipe, and then use a bicycle pump to make a [[spray (liquid drop)|spray]]. Alcohol can be vaporized using a simple container and open-flame heater.<ref name=forbes>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2013/06/21/the-dangers-of-smoking-alcohol/|title=The Dangers Of "Smoking" Alcohol|last=Glatter|first=Robert|date=June 21, 2013|work=Forbes|access-date=January 23, 2014}}</ref> Medical devices such as asthma nebulizers and inhalers were also reported as means of application.<ref>{{citation|url=http://greatist.com/health/inhaling-alcohol-061213 |title=Would You Smoke a Beer? Why People Are Inhaling Alcohol |publisher=Greatist.com |last=Breene |first=Sophia |date=June 12, 2013}}</ref>

==Effects and health concerns==
There are occupational health and safety risks of inhaling alcohol vapor and mists.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Neurological effects of chronic occupational exposure to alcohol mists and vapors in a machinist  |journal=Toxicology Communications |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=43–48 |author=Ratner, Marcia |doi=10.1080/24734306.2020.1768341 |display-authors=etal|year=2020 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Inhalation devices make it "substantially easier to overdose on alcohol" than drinking, because the alcohol bypasses the stomach and liver and goes directly into the bloodstream, and because the user does not have a reliable way of determining how much alcohol they have taken in. Inhaled alcohol cannot be purged from the body by vomiting, which is the body's main protection against alcohol poisoning. Inhaled alcohol can dry out nasal passages and make them more susceptible to infection.<ref name="Castillo">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/inhaling-alcohol-vapor-puts-you-at-risk-of-overdose/|title=Inhaling alcohol vapor puts you at risk of overdose|last=Castillo|first=Michelle|date=June 5, 2013|work=CBS News|access-date=23 January 2014}}</ref> There is also a potential increased risk of addiction.<ref name=forbes/><ref name=slate/>

==Medical applications==
Inhalation of vapor obtained by nebulization of water and ethanol in oxygen has been used in treatment of [[pulmonary edema]] in humans.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Treatment of pulmonary edema |journal=JAMA |year=1954 |issue=154 |volume=1 |page=62 | doi = 10.1001/jama.1954.02940350064019}}</ref> Alcohol vapor acts as an anti-foaming agent in the lungs, so the [[sputum]] becomes more liquid, and can be easily expelled. The method has also been used to reduce the [[alcohol withdrawal]] syndrome in patients who had intestinal tract surgeries.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Inhalation of Alcohol Vapor Driven by Oxygen is a Useful Therapeutic Method for Postoperative Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome in a Patient with Esophageal Cancer: a Case Report  |journal=Alcohol and Alcoholism |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=424–426 |author=Peng Zhang |doi=10.1093/alcalc/agr037|pmid=21511735 |display-authors=etal|year=2011 |doi-access= }}</ref> 

==Regulation==
{{Globalize|section|date=April 2014}}
In the United States, many state legislatures have banned alcohol inhalation machines.<ref name="nytimes2006"/> Support for such legislation comes from groups fighting underage drinking and [[drunk driving]], including alcohol companies such as [[Diageo]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diageo-supports-ban-on-alcohol-without-liquid-awol-machines-54119122.html |title=Diageo Supports Ban on 'Alcohol Without Liquid' (AWOL) Machines |publisher= Diageo/PR Newswire |date=January 26, 2005}}</ref> and industry groups such as the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

==See also==
* [[Alcohol enema]]
* {{annotated link|Carbogen}}
* {{annotated link|Nebulizer}}
* [[Vodka eyeballing]]
* [[Alcohol powder]] -- can be inhaled with a [[nebulizer]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Campbell, Lynn. Opposition mounts to alcohol inhalers. ''Des Moines Register'', February 21, 2005.
* Currier, Joel. Lawmakers take sober view of vaporized-alcohol machine. ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', February 20, 2005.
* Diageo. Diageo Supports Ban on “Alcohol Without Liquid” (AWOL) Machine. Diageo press release, January 26, 2005.
* Kliner, Kate. Liquor minus liquid: Why a new way of consuming alcohol may never make it to Tempe. ''Arizona State University Devil'', February 10, 2005.
* Monticelli, Sergio. Corn craze: Ethanol huffing sweeps Stanford. ''Stanford Daily'', March 7, 2016.
* {{cite web | url=http://business.highbeam.com/435553/article-1G1-128988949/states-take-sober-view-alcohol-vapor-devices | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202113652/http://business.highbeam.com/435553/article-1G1-128988949/states-take-sober-view-alcohol-vapor-devices | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 2, 2014 | title=States take sober view of alcohol vapor devices | publisher=[[St Louis Post-Dispatch]] | date=February 21, 2005 | access-date=23 January 2014 | author=Currier, Joel}} {{subscription required}}
* [http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/2633/ AWOL - inhaling alcohol] ([http://www.gizmag.com.au/ gizmag])
* [http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0100-879X2004000600009&script=sci_arttext Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research - Can calories from ethanol contribute to body weight preservation by malnourished rats?<!-- Bot generated title -->]
* [http://www.faqs.org/abstracts/Health/Perspectives-do-alcohol-calories-count-Resting-energy-expenditure-and-substrate-oxidation-in-human-i.html Perspectives: do alcohol calories count? Resting energy expenditure and substrate oxidation in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected asymptomatic men: HIV affects host m...<!-- Bot generated title -->]

{{Alcohol and health}}

[[Category:Alcohol]]
[[Category:Drug paraphernalia]]
[[Category:Inhalants]]