ALCOHOL VAPORIZERS - If you drink too much alcohol, your system will start rejecting the alcohol, which will exit your body in the form of vomit. No one likes to throw up, but it can be a very good thing if it saves you from alcohol poisoning. Because the alcohol hits your blood quickly, it can also give you alcohol poisoning quickly -- especially when the digestive system is taken out of the equation. Unlike when you drink, it can be hard to tell exactly how much alcohol you're inhaling - calories are digested in the bloodstream, and inhaled alcohol gets into your bloodstream fast - Alcohol vaporizers are now taking their turn in the spotlight as the latest questionable device du jour. Alcohol vaporizers take hard liquor and - typically through pressurization, heat or contact with dry ice - turn it into mist that you can inhale. Vaporizer manufacturers tout their products' ability to get you buzzed fast: Inhaled alcohol goes into your bloodstream full-strength, directly from your lungs, allowing you to feel its effects more powerfully and quickly. No waiting around for that pesky digestive system to do its job - you get an almost instant high, with little to none of the side effects that can plague people who actually drink alcohol the old-fashioned way. It's also calorie- and hangover-free, or so goes the sales pitch. Alcohol bypasses your digestive system. This is publicized as a plus by vaporizer companies, but the digestive system is a natural defense against toxicity.

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Alcohol Vaporizers

What's an alcohol vaporizer?

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If you drink too much alcohol, your system will start rejecting the alcohol, which will exit your body in the form of vomit. No one likes to throw up, but it can be a very good thing if it saves you from alcohol poisoning. Because the alcohol hits your blood quickly, it can also give you alcohol poisoning quickly -- especially when the digestive system is taken out of the equation. Unlike when you drink, it can be hard to tell exactly how much alcohol you're inhaling - calories are digested in the bloodstream, and inhaled alcohol gets into your bloodstream fast

BY ALISON COOPER

Inhaling vapor from an alcoholic drink is entirely different from sipping
 a cocktail, and devices called vaporizers can help you to do it.

It's no secret that people (some of them, anyway) will go to great lengths to get a buzz.

Humans have turned to all sorts of substances and contraptions in the name of getting high, and there seems to be a never-ending stream of newfangled methods available.

Alcohol vaporizers are now taking their turn in the spotlight as the latest questionable device du jour.

Alcohol vaporizers take hard liquor and -- typically through pressurization, heat or contact with dry ice -- turn it into mist that you can inhale.

Vaporizer manufacturers tout their products' ability to get you buzzed fast: Inhaled alcohol goes into your bloodstream full-strength, directly from your lungs, allowing you to feel its effects more powerfully and quickly.

No waiting around for that pesky digestive system to do its job -- you get an almost instant high, with little to none of the side effects that can plague people who actually drink alcohol the old-fashioned way.

It's also calorie- and hangover-free, or so goes the sales pitch.

One major red flag is the fact that inhaled alcohol bypasses your digestive system. This is publicized as a plus by vaporizer companies, but the digestive system is a natural defense against toxicity.

If you drink too much alcohol, your system will start rejecting the alcohol, which will exit your body in the form of vomit.

No one likes to throw up, but it can be a very good thing if it saves you from alcohol poisoning.

When you inhale too much alcohol, there's nothing your lungs, brain and blood can do about it.

Because the alcohol hits your blood quickly, it can also give you alcohol poisoning quickly -- especially when the digestive system is taken out of the equation.

Unlike when you drink, it can be hard to tell exactly how much alcohol you're inhaling.

And it can be extra hard to keep track when you're getting drunk much faster than you're used to.

The no-calories claim is also a dubious one.

Because the digestive system isn't involved when you inhale alcohol, it's tempting to believe that all those empty calories aren't being digested -- they're vanishing into thin air, so to speak.

But calories are digested in the bloodstream, and we know that inhaled alcohol gets into your bloodstream fast.

The mist might contain fewer alcohol molecules than liquid does, but it still gets metabolized and releases calories at the same rate per gram.

There haven't been any human studies on the effects of alcohol vaporizers, so there's no hard evidence about the veracity of the no-hangover claim.

And we haven't even mentioned the havoc that inhaled alcohol doubtless wreaks on your lungs and respiratory system.

Just in case you haven't come up with enough reasons to decline an alcohol vaporizer if you ever encounter one.

HowStuffWorks got its start in 1998 at a college professor's kitchen table. From there, we quickly grew into an award-winning source of unbiased, reliable, easy-to-understand answers and explanations of how the world actually works. Today, our writers, editors, podcasters and video hosts share all the things we're most excited to learn about with nearly 30 million visitors to the site each month. Learn more about our authors, and maybe even become one yourself. You can learn more about us in our FAQ.

https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/drugs-alcohol/alcohol-vaporizer.htm

 

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NITROUS OXIDE - Many people may have noticed an increasing presence of little silver canisters littering the streets in the Netherlands. These are whipped-cream chargers, steel cylinders filled with nitrous oxide, used as a whipping agent in whipped cream dispensers. This is not their only current use, however. By dispensing the nitrous oxide into a balloon and then inhaling it, the canisters can be used to achieve a high. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a non-flammable, colourless gas compound of nitrogen and oxygen. Discovered in 1772 by Joseph Priestley and later named by Sir Humphry Davy, who demonstrated its physiological effect, it is often used for its anaesthetic properties in surgeries or dentistry. Other common uses include rocket propellants, motor racing and whipped cream.n In addition to these many uses, nitrous oxide is also used recreationally by party-goers as it allows them to achieve a feeling of euphoria. Since the canisters are officially intended for household use, they can easily be obtained in large household supply stores. Nitrous Oxide is not currently on the prescription medicine list, so it can easily be sold over the counter. Some companies do try to monitor their sales by refusing to sell to underage customers, or requesting intended use when processing a big order. Large quantities purchased by individuals can easily arouse suspicion.

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Nitrous oxide

not just your innocent whipped cream making gas

By Mina Solanki

Sales of nitrous oxide in the Netherlands have risen by 400 percent in the last two years.

Many people may have noticed an increasing presence of little silver canisters littering the streets in the Netherlands.

These are whipped-cream chargers, steel cylinders filled with nitrous oxide, used as a whipping agent in whipped cream dispensers.

This is not their only current use, however.

By dispensing the nitrous oxide into a balloon and then inhaling it, the canisters can be used to achieve a high.

What is Nitrous Oxide?

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a non-flammable, colourless gas compound of nitrogen and oxygen.

Discovered in 1772 by Joseph Priestley and later named by Sir Humphry Davy, who demonstrated its physiological effect, it is often used for its anaesthetic properties in surgeries or dentistry.

Other common uses include rocket propellants, motor racing and whipped cream.

In addition to these many uses, nitrous oxide is also used recreationally by party-goers as it allows them to achieve a feeling of euphoria.

Blokker and other sales points

Since the canisters are officially intended for household use, they can easily be obtained in large household supply stores, such as famous chain the Blokker.

Nitrous Oxide is not currently on the prescription medicine list, so it can easily be sold over the counter.

Some companies do try to monitor their sales by refusing to sell to underage customers, or requesting intended use when processing a big order.

One canister can last a long time as a whipped-cream charger, but users who inhale the substance can easily go through several units in one go.

Therefore, large quantities purchased by individuals can easily arouse suspicion.

How does laughing gas affect you?

When inhaled, laughing gas can affect you in a number of ways, and as with many drugs, the effects depend on the person taking them and how much of the drug is used.

Although many users deny any similarities to real drug use, the use of laughing gas falls under the inhalant-depressant-drug category, along with adhesives and solvents, and slows down the body and brain’s responses.

One may feel euphoric, calm and relaxed after taking it.

One may also experience dizziness, difficulty in thinking straight and fits of laughter.

Some have even reported sound distortions and hallucinations. A headache can also accompany the inhalation of the gas.

What are the risks involved?

As the laughing gas can make you dizzy, you are at risk of falling or making a bad judgement call and injuring yourself.

Depending upon the way in which the gas is administered, you are at risk of damaging your lungs.

One may also be at risk of unconsciousness or death. This occurs when nitrous oxide replaces the air in the lungs causing asphyxiation (suffocation).

This is more likely to occur if the gas is inhaled in an enclosed space or via a mask or plastic bag, which covers both the nose and mouth.

Taking too much nitrous oxide at one time can cause fainting and lead to accidents.

Effects after long-term use

Using nitrous oxide heavily and regularly can cause a deficiency in vitamin B12.

Deficiency in B12 can lead to serious nerve damage, which one experiences as tingling and numbness in the extremities. One may also have difficulty walking and feel pain in the affected areas.

A severe deficiency can also depress the formation of white blood cells.

For more information on the drug see FRANK.

Mina Solanki

Completed her Master's degree at the University of Groningen and worked as a translator before joining IamExpat. She loves to read and has a particular interest in Greek mythology. In addition to this, she is an avid rower.

https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/nitrous-oxide-not-just-your-innocent-whipped-cream-making-gas