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RISKY TREND ALARMS MEDICS
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ITTSBURGH – It’s a Friday or Saturday night. A bored teen or 20-something tells a friend that he or she saw this video about this new way of “drinking” that’ll save them calories and get them drunk quicker. All they need is a bottle, a lighter, some dry ice and a straw. It’s called inhaling, or smoking, alcohol. Videos on YouTube have gone viral and medical off cials are aware of the practice and say that this is more dangerous than drinking alcohol. “This is like the crack-cocaine of alcohol,”says Neil Capretto, medical director at Gateway Rehabilitation Centre in Pennsylvania. The reason for this practice: instant intoxication. By inhaling alcohol, the vapours bypass vital
organ f lters, such as the stomach and liver, and go straight to the bloodstream. Not knowing how much alcohol is being consumed is dangerous. The blood alcohol content of the individual inhaling the alcohol could reach alarming levels because unless a person knows how much alcohol he/she is vapourising, there is no way to know how much alcohol is being consumed. Another danger is the possibility of lung damage. Aside from getting intoxicated quicker, myths about the practice are also being spread. It is widely believed that by inhaling alcohol, the user is spared the calories of actual alcohol. This is not true, Capretto says. Capretto says he’s also seen cases of people injecting alcohol directly into the veins, using alcohol enemas, or dropping shots into the eye to achieve faster intoxication. AAP
Sam Neill stars in Greenpeace video The video claims that the deep-sea oil drillers are exploiting oceans and “risking everything New Zealanders hold dear”. Prime Minister John Key says many of the claims in media reports are wrong and says a shorter process effected by the change is appropriate. “The only difference between that and a fully-notif ed process is the input by the wider public,” he told reporters at the Pacif c Islands Forum. “It won’t have any impact on the standard that is applied.” He said companies that wish to upgrade from exploratory drilling to full production will still be subjected to public opinion. The proposed law change comes after parliament passed legislation to restrict protesting at sea. AAP
WELLINGTON – Hollywood actor Sam Neill has teamed up with New Zealand celebrities in a new campaign to protest government plans to cut public say out of exploratory drilling applications. The Greenpeace campaign, which kicks off with the launch of a video on Wednesday night, also stars Lucy Lawless, the Topp Twins, Tiki Taane and Warren Maxwell and pushes the message “get free”. Environment Minister Amy Adams announced the proposed law change last week, which will eliminate the avenue for public opinion on applications for exploratory drilling. It would give the Environmental Protection Authority control over applications, with public say not taken into consideration. Adams says the change will allow an environmental oversight that has previously not existed. But Greenpeace and Neill say “New Zealand is going backwards fast” and are urging New Zealanders to sign on to their movement.
HELGA ESTEB / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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