WLFI television news in Indiana recently carried a report on a new product which is making headlines worldwide. The product is being described as a “revolutionary new way to consume alcohol,” though it is also raising concerns among many doctors who are worried about its potential health risks and the possibility that it may cause an increased incidence of alcoholism. The product is named the Vaportini, and it is currently only available online.
For $35, the Vaportini customer receives a glass globe about the size of a grapefruit, a metal ring, one plastic funnel, a glass straw and a small votive candle. The user places between an ounce and an ounce and a half of spirits such as vodka, bourbon or other liquor in the globe, and then sets the globe upon the metal ring which has been positioned on top of a pint glass. The candle has been lit and is sitting in the bottom of the glass, and the heat from the flame then begins to heat the liquor. Once the liquid reaches 172.9 Fahrenheit, the boiling point for alcohol, the alcohol then vaporizes and the “drinker” breathes it in through the straw.
If this sounds remarkably similar to taking hits from a bong, that is because it is remarkably similar to taking hits from a bong. Using a bong to get high on marijuana is not, however, where the Vaportini’s inventor got the idea. On the company’s website, she describes an experience on a Winter trip to Finland, during which a friend poured a bottle of vodka on the coals in a sauna. Everyone present breathed deeply and once they were all inebriated they charged outside to roll in the snow before going inside to feast. The basic idea behind the Vaportini is the same: by inhaling alcohol fumes, the user gets high or drunk on the alcohol far more quickly than by drinking. In fact, the effect is described as being immediate. This is because the alcohol does not have to pass into the stomach to be digested and then sent into the bloodstream. Instead, it is absorbed directly through the lungs. This method of consumption also makes it more potent, since 100 percent of the alcohol ends up in the bloodstream, as compared with only about 15 percent when drinking — the remaining 85 percent is normally absorbed into the liver and flushed out of the body.
Is Vaportini Safe
The Vaportini is generating a great deal of buzz and interest among those who are eager to try this new way to get intoxicated, but it is also causing concern to many doctors. A local physician is quoted in the Indiana news piece as saying that there have not yet been any studies on the effects of vaporized alcohol on humans. Research has, however, been performed on how vaporized alcohol affects rats, and the studies have demonstrated that this form of alcohol creates a higher rate of addiction.
He also advises against using the Vaportini both based on the medical risks and the common sense caution against trying something which is still largely untested. What has been tested more extensively is the Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL) device, which came onto the market in the early part of the last decade. The AWOL is a nebulizer, which works by combining alcohol with oxygen to create a fine mist which is then inhaled. It has since been banned in nearly half of the country including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming. Whether or not the Vaportini proves to be safe or ends up following in the footsteps of the AWOL remains to be seen, but until its effects are better understood it is wise to heed the Indiana doctor’s advice by refraining from its use.
For more information on this topic go to Narconon-news.org.
Source: http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/vaportini-stirring-up-concerns-for-doctors