Concern as club offers vaporised alcohol shots
A Maidstone nightclub has become the first in the UK to sell vaporised alcohol which has raised concerns among health professionals.
Experts believe the new fad of serving ‘Alcohol Mist’ in balloons could be extremely harmful as the method bypasses safeguards that would usually prevent alcohol poisoning.
Flavoured spirit is turned into a fine mist by machines from American company, Vapshot.
Each balloon costs £5 and Gallery Nightclub manager Devon Modell claims they contain only 1/60 of a shot but have the effect of one or two shots.
They can be filled behind the bar or from portable pumps carried on the backs of bar staff.
When inhaled, the effects are almost instantaneous and last for around 20 minutes.
The Bank Street club is even doing a CBD-infused version the legal part of cannabis said to have calming properties. Despite the novelty, health professionals have raised concerns. Kent County Council director of public health Andrew ScottClark said: “Inhaling vodka vapour in balloons is definitely something we would not advocate as it could be extremely harmful both for short-term and long-term health.
“It provides almost instant delivery of alcohol to the bloodstream and the brain, bypassing the metabolism, and the effects are felt very quickly. “The increased absorption can harm the brain and is a particular hazard to teens and young adults, because their brains have not finished developing.
“However, when you smoke alcohol, it never passes through the stomach and so doesn’t cause vomiting, which can limit how much alcohol is absorbed. The effects can therefore be more serious.” John Shanley, who works for drug and alcohol treatment charity Kenward Trust, said: “There has not been much research on this, so it’s unclear exactly how high the risks are. “There could be a risk of becoming addicted quicker because your body’s tolerance is not used to getting drunk this way, and the ethanol can also dry out nose airways which can lead to infection. “It’s a very dangerous thing for young people to be doing. “However, the CBD-infusion is completely safe. CBD oil actually has lots of health benefits - it is totally different to the THC in cannabis - the part which makes you high.” Professor of health services research at the University of Kent, Simon Coulton, added: “Inhaling alcohol is not new, it has come and gone out of fashion in the US and Australia over the past few years.” Mr Modell insists Alcohol Mist is completely safe. He said: “I have tried them myself and no one has had a bad reaction in our club. “People normally have Alcohol Mist after a few drinks. “We recently had a visit to renew our alcohol licence and the inspector saw the Alcohol Mist equipment and did not say anything about it.” A spokesman from Vapshot said: “Concerns have circled around excessive alcohol in the lungs but when we began research six years ago, we could not find any health professionals who could provide confirmed data on this matter.”
“We sent our end product to a certified testing laboratory and it was well within published levels of safety, which are regarded as the standard by the US government.
“We believe we have clearly shown our products are potentially safer than drinking.”