Inhaling alcohol: Know the risks

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The old-fashioned way of getting drunk is simple: drink too much alcohol. A novel way people have been consuming alcohol? "Smoke" or "vape" your alcohol instead. Inhaling alcohol vapors can harm the brain and lungs and intoxicate someone very quickly, so it is very important to be aware of the dangers associated with it.

When people "smoke" or "vape" alcohol, they do so by heating it up or pouring it over dry ice. There are even devices marketed to young people to make vaping alcohol seem refined and sophisticated. This makes a vapor that they inhale into their lungs. Inhaling alcohol vapor causes a rapid and intense "high." Absorption through the lungs provides almost instant delivery of the alcohol to the bloodstream and the brain; the effects are felt very quickly. Small amounts of inhaled alcohol may make a person much more intoxicated than drinking the alcohol instead.

Vaping alcohol bypasses the digestive system, so some believe that alcohol calories are not absorbed. This claim makes smoking alcohol very attractive to teens and young adults that think they can get "buzzed" without consuming calories from drinking it. However, this is NOT TRUE. Alcohol comes with calories, whether swallowed, inhaled, or injected.

There are other problems.

• The increased absorption of alcohol can harm the brain. This is a particular hazard to teens and young adults, because their brains have not finished developing yet.

• Because excessive drinking of alcohol can irritate the stomach and cause vomiting, this mechanism can limit the amount ultimately consumed by preventing more absorption. Vaping alcohol, however, bypasses the digestive tract and therefore would not provide the same warning signs (e.g. vomiting) that could help indicate to someone they've consumed too much. You might not realize it if too much is inhaled, and the effects can be very serious, including passing out, decreased breathing, and injuries from falls or drunk-driving accidents.

• The heated or ultra-cooled (by dry ice) vapor itself may also cause lung injury that could lead to long term breathing problems.

So far, no human studies have been published about the health effects of inhaling alcohol. (There are studies that demonstrate that alcohol is absorbed from the bloodstream after inhalation.) Studies in rats show several problems.

• In rats, chronic alcohol inhalation leads to more and more alcohol-seeking behaviors.

• It also increases anxiety behaviors in rats.

• It can be addictive.

• Inhaling alcohol can cause changes in the brain; rats need higher and higher doses to produce the same drunk feeling.

• An alcohol withdrawal syndrome can also occur. This causes symptoms of anxiety, tremors, sweating, chills, and seizures. 

Take Home Message:

• Alcohol can be absorbed into your bloodstream by inhaling alcohol vapors.

• Vapors are produced by heating up alcohol or pouring it over dry ice.

• People who inhale alcohol vapors get drunk very quickly, because the alcohol goes straight to the brain.

• Heated or super-cooled alcohol vapor can injure the lungs.

If someone is symptomatic from inhaled alcohol, use the webPOISONCONTROL online tool to get help, or call your poison center at 1-800-222-1222. Whether online or by phone, expert guidance is always free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.