Alcohol without liquid
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Alcohol Without Liquid (AWOL) is a process introduced first in Asia and Europe that allows people to take in liquor (distilled spirits) without actually consuming liquid. The machine vaporizes alcohol and mixes it with oxygen, allowing the consumer to breathe in the mixture. The machine has been dubbed AWOL, a play on the military term AWOL, Absent Without Official Leave. The AWOL machine produces a very fine alcoholic mist. The continual intake of this mist over a twenty-minute period is the equivalent of taking one shot of distilled spirits.
The machine was introduced to the United States in August of 2004. The possible health and safety risks of inhaling alcohol vapors are unknown and many legislators are promoting legislation to ban alcohol inhalation machines. Michigan has made it illegal to possess, sell or use an AWOL machine, and as of April 2007, 21 other states have banned the device; Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming. Support for such legislation comes from groups fighting underage drinking and drunk driving, including alcohol companies such as Diageo and industry groups such as the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), among others.
The machine's marketers say it produces a "Euphoric High" and the effects of alcohol consumption without the high calories, carbohydrates, and hangovers associated with common consumption. In reality, distilled spirits contain no carbohydrates (nor any fat or cholesterol) that the machine could remove. However, ethanol is metabolized by the body at about 7 kilocalories per gram. Hangovers are allegedly prevented due to the fact that the alcohol is delivered with oxygen to the brain. Vaporized alcohol also enters the bloodstream faster and its effects are more immediate than its liquid counterparts. Marketers encourage purchasers to use the machine no more than twice in a 24-hour period to avoid overconsumption, as this might be dangerous.
[edit] Sources
- Campbell, Lynn. Opposition mounts to alcohol inhalers. Des Moines Register, February 21, 2005.
- Currier, Joel. Lawmakers take sober view of vaporized-alcohol machine. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 20, 2005.
- Diageo. Diageo Supports Ban on “Alcohol Without Liquid” (AWOL) Machine. Diageo press release, January 26, 2005.
- Kliner, Kate. Liquor minus liquid: Why a new way of consuming alcohol may never make it to Tempe. Arizona State University Devil, February 10, 2005.
