Binge
drinking will only worsen if New Zealanders pick up on the
latest overseas craze of snorting alcohol, says the
Alcohol Advisory Council.
Drinks such as vodka and absinthe can be
"snorted" into the nose or inhaled into the mouth through
a tube attached to a device known as an Alcohol Without
Liquid (AWOL) vaporizer. It costs about $4000.
Scientists say the effects of the
alcohol can be felt much quicker as it is directly
absorbed through blood vessels in the nose or lungs -
bypassing the stomach and liver.
"This is a silly gimmick and potentially
dangerous to the individual in the short term as well as
the long term if the practice is persisted with, said ALAC
chief executive Dr Mike MacAvoy. "People indulging in this
practice are just setting out to get drunk. This sort of
instant hit fits in with New Zealand's and Britain's
dangerous culture of binge drinking."
English
bar Il Bordello, in Bristol, offered its customers the
device at $16 a hit last week and owner Liz Lewitt said it
had proved a hit.
The inventor, Dominic Simler, claims
this method of consuming alcohol reduces a hangover and is
calorie-free.
Alcohol experts described the device as
"diabolical" and warned inhaling alcohol could cause
serious brain damage.
Professor Oliver James, head of clinical
medical sciences at Newcastle University, said snorting
alcohol allows it to enter the brain without being
filtered by the liver.