By M. Vinayak (Himshikha Shukla)
It’s mind blowing to think of someone deliberately drinking hand sanitizer to get an alcohol buzz / high. However, just as many teens drink cough syrup or inhale whip cream vapors from a can, or try Jenkem, or even alcohol-soaked tampons, many have discovered hand sanitizers as the source of a potential high. It’s not just teens who are drinking and using these methods to get high, adults, too, have been using hand sanitizers to catch a buzz because most sanitizers are 95% alcohol.
With the recent threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we’re seeing a 25% increase in Hand Sanitizer Addiction. Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is one of the first thing medical experts and scientists say to use, sporadically, throughout the day to stay germ-clean and hopefully avoid the disastrous Coronavirus (COVID-19) from spreading.
How Does a Hand Sanitizer Addiction Develop?
People who chose to drink these products are typically teens and young adults looking for a cheap and powerful high that is easily accessible, or people with an alcohol addiction who have to resort to these types of sources for alcohol to hide the fact that they are still imbibing. As with any substance that contains an addictive substance, ingesting hand sanitizers that contain ethanol can create a high. The individual may then want to re-experience that high and will continue to drink hand sanitizers for that purpose. Over time, any alcohol-containing beverage will begin to lose its impact as tolerance increases. The individual in turn increases the amount of hand sanitizer consumed, attempting to achieve the original high. This is how addiction to hand sanitizer can develop.
With that in mind, getting treatment for a hand sanitizer addiction is the same as getting treatment for a drug or alcohol addiction. The individual will need to receive professional therapy that helps them understand the driving forces for their propensity to use hand sanitizers for a high, and then make behavioral changes to overcome the addiction.
Dangers of Sniffing Hand Sanitizers
As a parent, you may be worried about your children now. It’s common to worry about them. However, knowing what to expect and what can happen when huffing sanitizer is a great way to bring awareness to your kids. Below, you will find the most common dangers.
Headaches can happen either through long-term exposure or with just one whiff of the alcohol that is in hand sanitizer. Because rubbing alcohol is typically the active ingredient, it is very potent. The fumes can cause a serious headache or a migraine.
Nausea and vomiting can also happen when inhaling hand sanitizer. Especially with long-term use, the potent fumes of alcohol can cause problems with your digestive tract. Even more, those who try to use this substance in an abusive way while sick with a fever can experience worse nausea and vomiting.
Rubbing alcohol can seriously irritate nucleus membranes inside the nose. It’s almost like a chemical burn that happens in the nasal passages. In the least dangerous scenario, the irritation will lead to allergy-like symptoms that cause a runny nose, sore throat, and sinus pain. Worst cases can cause permanent damage to the ability to smell properly as well as damage to mucous membranes.
Those with asthma could seriously endanger their respiratory health. Even those who do not suffer from asthma can cause themselves difficulty with breathing while inhaling fumes of rubbing alcohol.
Below, you’ll find symptoms of huffing. That way, you might be able to identify this behavior in your child or someone you know.
- agitation
- delusions
- a feeling of drowsiness
- hallucinations
- impaired judgment
- the initial feeling of excitement
- lightheadedness
- mood changes
Studies show that huffing hand sanitizer could be the gateway to huffing other substances as well as drinking alcohol at a young age. While it might seem less harmful than a regular addiction, huffing can turn into a full-blown addiction, just like drugs or alcohol. Those who are addicted to huffing will crave more. They will have withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop. Hand sanitizer is especially dangerous for kids because it is readily found in every classroom.
Huffing hand sanitizer is something that should not be done. No matter who or what age, there are serious dangers that come with inhaling any type of substance. Please know that this can also lead to addiction and further complications.