Not only do parents have to worry about their teens getting beer or hard liquor from friends or coworkers, but now a new teen trend has surfaced. Six California teenagers were recently hospitalized for alcohol poisoning from drinking—get this—hand sanitizer.
This risky trend involves separating the ethyl alcohol in the sanitizer by using salt or distilling the sanitizer to get just the alcohol. Teenagers find instructions for this process online, and the resulting liquid can be up to 62 to 65 percent alcohol and 120 proof. A standard shot of vodka is 40 percent alcohol and 80 proof.
Seems like a lot of research and work just to get drunk, doesn’t it? Not to mention the fact that this stuff probably doesn’t taste very good.
Of course, this isn’t the first way that teens have bypassed the drinking age with alternative measures. There have been and are still instances of individuals abusing cough syrup, alcohol-based mouthwash, vanilla extract, and lemon extract to get “buzzed.”
It is important that parents are aware of their teens’ activities, even activities that can seem relatively harmless, such as buying mouthwash or vanilla extract. Parents should also make sure to always protect their teens with a Wisconsin health insurance policy; it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
No one can say for sure what the next teen trend will be, but staying informed will help combat dangerous behavior before it’s too late.
-Sam