Tuesday, May 5, 2015

What is Slimming?


You may think the word "slimming" has everything to do with weight loss. In this instance, you would be wrong. One thing I've learned from working with teens in the pediatric ER is that they are very inventive in discovering ways of getting high and/or drunk.

Slimming is one of them. Sadly, this is joke.

Slimming, in this instance, refers to inserting alcohol soaked tampons (usually vodka) to become intoxicated without having the smell of booze on your breath.

And just so the guys don't feel left out-- they've been known to insert them into their rectums.

The vaginal and rectal mucosa can be great ways to deliver drugs. These areas can absorb drugs very rapidly. The problem becomes when multiple sources are used to imbibe the alcohol.

If you are "slimming" as well as orally taking in alcohol-- alcohol poisoning can happen very quickly. One case presented by a physician reported a teen with a blood alcohol level of 0.5. That's high people-- particularly if you are "naive" to alcohol and haven't built up a resistance.

Other ways teens are getting drunk?

A "butt chug" which is a beer bong inserted rectally.

Soaking gummy bears in alcohol.

Eyeball shots-- pouring liquor into your eye sockets. Again, to have the alcohol absorb more quickly.

And lastly-- drinking hand sanitizer. In one episode of Intervention, an episode highlighted someone in the hospital lapping up the foam for just this reason.

These are dangerous practices and parents should be aware.

5 comments:

  1. Yeah, really didn't want to know any of that. But as a parent of a teen, I can only hope this US trend doesn't get imported to New Zealand.

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  2. Wow. I had no idea. Will be sharing with friends who have and/or work with teens. Thanks for sharing this information Jordyn.

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  3. Wow. And ick. How do they even think up these things?

    Happy Nurses Week, friend!

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