Posted on Sep 1, 2015
CH (MAJ) William Beaver
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Okay....not that I plan to try this, but we heard about it in a recent training. I should not be surprised at the many ways people figure out how to get a buzz. In an Army training we were briefed on the dangers of ingesting hand sanitizer. We were told it was equal to drinking straight vodka. I haven't heard of anyone doing this but I guess there are lots of people doing it. Soldiers in deployment or field exercises? Who knows? My late grandmother was a hard alcoholic who would drink rubbing alcohol if money was tight. I can only imagine. But back to the hand sanitizer: how widespread is this practice? How dangerous and life-threatening is it? Have you heard about this? Here's an article I found.....

Hand Sanitizers: How Toxic Are They?
Recently, an email has circulated warning parents not to use hand sanitizers due to the danger they pose to children. And while hand sanitizers can be dangerous if swallowed, actual symptoms from their misuse are extremely rare. Most children who get a "taste" or a "lick" of hand sanitizer experience only mild symptoms, if any, and can be safely managed at home with the assistance of the Poison Center. Hand sanitizer taste bad and can result in a burning sensation, so most children will not swallow an amount large enough to produce symptoms. However, there are children who will drink anything, no matter how bad it tastes - and in those cases alcohol poisoning can result. The same thing can occur if mouthwash or perfume is swallowed. The bottom line is - hand sanitizers are beneficial for killing germs on hands and like all potentially poisonous items, they should be stored out of the reach of children and should be used according to the label. Adults should monitor use of hand sanitizer by children to ensure that the proper amount is used and that hands wet with sanitizer are not put in the mouth. Also, avoid buying large containers of sanitizer. If a child only has access to a small bottle (30mL or less), they are less likely to ingest enough to result in harm.

What do you think about ingesting hand sanitizer for an alcohol buzz?
Posted in these groups: 140114202911 large Alcohol
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LTC Stephen F.
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Wash your mouth out with soap CH (MAJ) William Beaver for suggesting this :-)
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SGT Intelligence (S2)
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It's pretty dangerous; ethanol is the kind you can drink. Isopropyl alcohol is the kind found in hand sanitizer and it will kill you.
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CH (MAJ) Thomas Conner
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Desperately people will try or do just about anything! Although I have not heard about drinking the hand sanitizer, I have seen equally stupid stuff. I once had a Soldier in my unit who was allowed to drink during PT recovery and at lunch. He was such a bad alcoholic command was afraid what would happen if his blood alcohol level dropped. Of course he was discharged with a less than honorable discharge.
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