Medical expert of the article
New publications
"Mom, I'm drunk on the gel." A new disturbing trend among adolescents
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
A new phenomenon, rapidly spreading in the United States among minors, causes great anxiety, the correspondent of the newspaper La Stampa writes.
"Adolescents add gel to disinfect their hands in drinks to make them high-alcohol, or even use it in their pure form after thorough cleaning, strictly following simple instructions that are easy to find on the Internet," the newspaper writes.
"The latest overseas fashion, which has spread among adolescents seeking to get high, has nothing to do with drugs: it's a harmless cleansing gel for hands, which is easy to find in public places." He is in dispensaries, and completely free of charge, "the author writes.
"There is no doubt that this is something very dangerous," says Cyrus Rangen, director of the toxicology department at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.
"The dangers are even the smallest: they have uncontrolled access to the cleansing gel, they can swallow it involuntarily," the author writes. - Gel on 60-70% consists of ethyl alcohol. Many teenagers at this difficult age stage are ready to swallow anything, just to feel the euphoria and catch the buzz. Advice to parents: buy detergents in the form of foam: they are difficult to swallow, and they do not lend themselves to distillation. "