Vodka-Soaked Tampons: The Real Risks

If it’s not Tide PODS, it’s vodka-soaked tampons — kids these days are doing the darnedest things, or are they? Let’s look into the “vodka tampon” phenomenon and see if there’s any truth to it. 

The “Vodka Tampon” and “Alcohol Enema” Theory

So, what is the vodka tampon and alcohol enema buzz all about? Sorry to say, but it’s exactly what it sounds like. An idea has been making its way around some circles (mostly online) that soaking a tampon in booze and putting it you-know-where (there are two options) is a fast way to get drunk.

There are other reasons behind “slimming,” as this practice is also known. (For those wondering about other names for these “creative” styles of alcohol consumption, there are a few. Alcohol enemas are also called “butt-chugging” or “boofing.”)

Consuming alcohol in this unusual way can supposedly accomplish several things. Spoiler alert: none of them pan out.

• Avoid the smell of booze on our breath. While it’s logical to assume that anything going on down there won’t immediately show up on our breath, in this case, it’s just a matter of time. If the alcohol gets into our bloodstream, we’ll inevitably end up breathing it out, ending up with that telltale alcohol breath that’s very hard to mask.
• Beat a breathalyzer test. Breathalyzers estimate our blood alcohol content (BAC) by measuring the alcohol on our breath. Once again, the alcohol in our blood — no matter what route it took to get there — will show up on our breath and, consequently, on the breathalyzer.
• Get away with getting the alcohol without the calories. This one is not true either. The calories from booze come from the ethanol, which gets absorbed regardless of the route.
• Skip the hangover. Yet another myth! If too much alcohol gets into our system (one way or another), a hangover is on the horizon.

The Ever-Changing Landscape of Campus Drinking Trends

With the creativity and determination of youth being what they are, it’s not surprising that unusual drinking trends often pop up. While many are mostly confined to the internet (Reddit discussion groups can be a rabbit hole in this respect), some do make their way to college and even high school campuses. Many “alternative forms of alcohol use” and other boozy inventions have made the rounds through the years.

• Beer bongs. At this point, this one’s a classic (especially after John Kerry's 2006 Iowa tailgate photo), but there was a time when it was a novelty. Also known as funneling, beer bongs consist of a large funnel connected to tubing. The idea? Get the booze straight from the barrel to the mouth, no cups required. The problem? It’s way too easy to overdo it.
• Smoking alcohol. Vaping alcohol? Yep, that’s a thing. As the name suggests, this practice involves heating alcohol into a vapor and smoking it. While it might sound “cleaner,” it’s actually quite dangerous as well: it’s easy to go overboard and even end up with brain damage. 
• BORG drinking. The “blackout rage gallon” trend has been all the rage on college campuses recently. The name sounds intimidating, as it very well should — a gallon jug filled with hard liquor, water, and electrolyte mixers with caffeine is nothing to joke about. And no, the electrolytes won’t offset the damage, especially if we’re planning to down the whole thing in the course of the night.
• “Drunk gummy bears.” According to the ABC News article “5 Shocking Ways Your Kids Try To Get Drunk,” booze-soaked gummy bears (a.k.a. “drunk gummies and rummy bears”) were a thing a few years ago: “In November 2011, Florida health officials warned schools about students — some as young as middle-schoolers — soaking gummy candy in alcohol and bringing it to school to enjoy under teachers' noses.” The “candy with a kick” trend made its way around the country and has shown up in other states.
• Hand sanitizer. Yuck, we know, but unfortunately it happens. In the two years since the trend started showing up on YouTube, California saw as many as 2,600 cases of hospitalization connected to it. According to Cyrus Rangan, a medical toxicology consultant for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, "This is a rapidly emerging trend.” As he told ABC News, “A few swallows is all it takes to get a person to get the intoxicated effects of alcohol.”

• Eyeballing. Another cringy trend, eyeballing is exactly what it sounds like — pouring alcohol directly into the eye by using a dropper. The result? You don’t have to see it for yourself to know it’s not pretty.

Needless to say, many of the nights (or days) involving these unusual drinking habits end badly, often in the hospital. Many of the “creative” ways of drinking are inherently dangerous for many reasons. 

• The aim is to get drunk fast. The whole point is usually to get as drunk as possible (often under the radar). Inherently, this makes a lot of the practices described dangerous, raising the risk of alcohol poisoning.
• It’s harder for the body to get rid of the alcohol. As much as we hate throwing up after drinking too much, it’s our body’s natural way of protecting us.
• We might not know exactly how much we’re consuming. Who knows just how “drunk” that boozy gummy bear is?
• The ingredients can be toxic. Hand sanitizer takes the prize on this one, but many others are not so great either. When getting as drunk as possible (on a student budget, at that) is the goal, the quality of alcohol that’s used tends to fall by the wayside.

Is Anyone Actually Making Alcohol Tampons?

Now, as for alcohol enemas and vodka tampons, are many people actually into it? The alcohol enema trend, in particular, took the internet by storm thanks to the YouTube stunt show Jackass. (Don’t bother searching for the episode; it has since been removed for violating YouTube’s terms and policies — no surprise there.) True to their name, the hosts gave teens something unsavory and dangerous to try at home, and some of them certainly did. In the name of YouTube fame, some uploaded their own videos as proof (which, obviously, have since been flushed into internet oblivion).

Fortunately, it doesn’t look like many people in real life are following in the footsteps of their Jackass idols. While the trend has been making its way through the internet, many people are still hesitant to cross that line in real life (phew!).

According to a Journal of American College Health article, most youngsters seem to be steering clear of the trend. The authors set out to explore the “alternative forms of alcohol use” that have been showing up in popular media and are a “growing concern, possibly associated with severe health risks.” Luckily, however, a survey of real-life college students showed that many are wary of the fads: “Formative research indicates rarity of use.”

Another study found similar results. The researchers report that “only 1.1% of 2,349 college students had consumed alcohol in ways other than drinking in their lifetime.”

As Healthline adds, “There are no documented cases of anyone actually slimming. And given the potential effects ... chances are that if someone did it, there’d be a hospital report and probably a case study on it.”

Still, the jury is out on the question of how many people out there are actually “slimming,” “boofing,” and doing other “innovative” things with booze. According to ABC News, “The rumor-vetting website snopes.com concluded it was false, but a November 2011 report by KPHO Phoenix included interviews with a police officer and a doctor who said they had witnessed cases of it.”

Does Soaking Tampons in Alcohol Even Work?

Provided someone were to actually do this, however, what would happen?

For one thing, it’s bound to be pretty messy. After all, a tampon is designed to get into the body while it’s still dry and soak up fluids once it’s in place, expanding as it does so. Changing the order is asking for trouble. First of all, it would be extremely difficult to insert a tampon that had already absorbed liquid. Second of all, most of the vodka would probably get squeezed out in the process. 

That said, if one does manage to get the tampon in successfully, it’s likely that the alcohol would do its job — and quickly. A study titled “Effects of Alcohol Consumption via Vagina in Adolescents in Four Schools in the City of Medellin, Colombia” found that “vaginal alcohol consumption could produce feelings of drunkenness” and lead to faster intoxication.

Boofing: Not Worth the Risk

Regardless of whether it works, it’s important to note that trying the alcohol enema or vodka tampon could be extremely risky.

For one thing, we’re risking alcohol poisoning. Alcohol that gets absorbed through delicate body tissues enters the bloodstream faster without allowing us to vomit it out.

Besides, if nothing else, it’s unpleasant and possibly downright painful. According to Healthline, “Alcohol is highly acidic, and the mucous membranes in the vagina and rectum are thin and sensitive. Not only will it burn like the dickens, but it could also potentially damage your mucous membranes.”

Moreover, according to an Open Access Emergency Medicine article, it’s possible to end up with some serious complications. The authors describe a case report of one unfortunate “boofer” who pumped 1.8 liters of 35% alcohol, fell ill, and ended up spending nine days in the hospital with ischemic colitis (a condition that happens when blood flow to part of the large intestine is temporarily reduced). 

Tips To Stay Safe

All in all, it’s clear that alcohol-soaked tampons are not the way to get drunk. In fact, aiming to get as drunk as possible isn’t a great idea for anyone, regardless of the circumstances and drinking style they choose. 

There are several ways to stay safe in a world of ever-changing alcohol trends:

1. Reflect on your drinking patterns. If you find yourself looking for ways to get drunk quickly on a regular basis, it might be time to consider your drinking patterns in general. Approach this with curiosity, not judgment. Simply track your drinking as well as your thoughts and feelings before, during, and after for a while, then see what patterns emerge.

2. Get support. We all need a tribe around us, and when it comes to the alcohol journey, having the right support is key. If you decide to take a break from, or cut back on, booze, surround yourself with friends and family members who have your back. They can help you resist outside pressure while being with you as you navigate urges and cravings and explore a path to a healthier and happier version of yourself. Check out the 24/7 Reframe Forum, where others on the same path are eager to offer their advice and support!

3. Explore other options. Cutting back or exploring a sober-curious lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Discover the world of booze-free fun by taking up hobbies that don’t mix well with alcohol, such as hiking, yoga, or ballroom dance classes. You might discover a new favorite and meet lifelong friends along the way.

Summing Up

Most of all, remember that your life is your own, and the choices that you make should always align with what’s best for your health and happiness. Set your intentions, keep them in mind, and don’t feel pressured to follow trends that seem unhealthy and dangerous. 

As Steve Maraboli writes in Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience, “The way you live your day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day, you make the choice whether the sentence ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.” And in the end, it’s empowering to know that we have control over what we put in our bodies as well as which direction we want to choose for our lives as a whole.