Lawmakers want to ban alcohol machine

Illinois lawmakers are taking aim at a new machine that manufacturers say allows users to inhale alcohol without the carbohydrates, calories and hangovers. Legislators say the machines that transform alcohol into a mist with an oxygen generator and then inhaled, are dangerous and should be banned.

"The danger we see behind it is that a person can get intoxicated much faster without knowing it, because the alcohol goes directly to the brain instead of going through the stomach as with an alcoholic drink," said Rep. Patricia Bellock, R-Westmont, who is sponsoring a new house bill banning the machines. "Basically your brain would be intoxicated before you body tests at that level, and that is a serious problem, particularly for young people who tend to binge drink."

According to the website for North Carolina-based Spirit Partners Inc., which distributes the AWOL, or Alcohol Without Liquid machines, the device creates a sense of well-being and mild euphoria.

It takes about 20 minutes to inhale one vaporized shot of alcohol, which is about half the size of an actual shot. The company recommends no more than 20 minutes of use an hour and no more than two sessions in a 24- hour period. They claim inhaling alcohol is safe as long as usage guidelines are followed. Ken Culton, coordinator and clinical counselor for the alcohol and drug program at Student Health Programs, said students should be weary of a company offering a "new, trendy" way to get intoxicated.

"First I would encourage students to look at the motivation of the seller," Culton said. "I think it's a gimmick someone will make a lot of money off of; it's just another way students can alter their mood, thus their perceptions and then the resulting problems will follow." Culton said, since the machines are marketed as a low-cal, low-carb high, it appears the company is targeting young, body-conscious drinkers.

"There are a lot of dangerous substances that are calorie free, but that doesn't mean it's risk free," Culton said. "Because it is new, people think it must be O.K., but because it is new is the very reason not to mess with it." Bellock said she is unaware of any machines, which are popular in Europe and Asia, in Illinois yet, but said the machines can be purchased for individual use as well as commercial use.

In addition to facing a ban in Illinois, a similar bill is in the works in Missouri and the U.S. Congress is considering a bill that would temporarily ban the machines pending Food and Drug Administration approval. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said he is unfamiliar with the machines, but said any product that could be used for intoxication should be closely examined. He said he has supported similar bills in the past.

Doctors are skeptical of the distributors claim of a hangover-free high and say that inhaling alcoholic vapor may actually be harmful to the lungs. In an article for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dr. Mark Comunale, chairman of St. Louis University's anesthesiology department said the low-calorie, low-carb claim is "bogus" because alcohol has the same calorie count whether inhaled or consumed as a drink. He also said inhaling alcohol vapors could be dangerous because it may enter the bloodstream too quickly. "It's a shortcut and could potentially cause overdose," Comunale told the paper.

"If you think about it, it really has no other purpose than to get someone inebriated. It's analogous to direct placement of alcohol in the bloodstream. It's as close as you can get to going (intravenous) without going IV." Individual sized machines sell for $299 and commercial versions, which can serve two to four people at once, start at $2,895.