Jack465

Again, this may be a dumb question, but I'm still pretty new to this, so bear with me...

Why does deodorant have alcohol in it?

My deodorant has "Alcohol" listed as the first ingredient on the container. I use this deodorant every day.

Is this anything at all to be concerned about, or is it only the drinkable form of alcohol that we need to avoid?

Thanks

Dee74

It's usually to do with quick evaporation I think.

I've never had an issue with any deodorant or aftershave, but there are alcohol free varieties available for anyone concerned

D

FLCamper

I thought about this recently when using mouthwash. I'd never swallow it, but I know there is alcohol in it. Is there any reason to avoid it?

thomas11

It is there for sanitary reasons. Germ killer.

sugarbear1

I believe some people are more sensitive to alcohol in any form. Know thyself!

JeffreyAK

It can be very triggering to smell alcohol (or swish it in your mouth) in early recovery, and for sure if you're taking antabuse you can't go near those things. I personally don't worry about deoderant, but I do avoid hand sanitizer (it's like 125 proof!!) and I use non-alcohol mouthwash, which my dentist tells me is better anyways.

Dee74

I was never tempted to swallow it but I found I was using alcoholic mouthwash about twice as often as I'd use a non-alc brand, so that gave me pause for thought


D

Jack465

I guess I was worried that the alcohol in the deodorant could be absorbed through the skin and my body thinks I'm drinking... or is that just being paranoid?

HollyWouldnt

I caught a person on my job with her mouth under the spigot of the handsanitizer, drinking away. A very sad sight that I try to always remember. By the grace of God. ....
Poor lady died soon after.
Holly.🎋

Coldfusion

In reading the responses here, I realize that I make a distinction between what I put on my skin and what I put in my mouth. So I use antiperspirant and an alcohol-based hair growth treatment, but I do not use alcohol mouthwash.

Andante

There are different types of alcohols. The type in deodorants (stearyl) isn't the same as the type you drink (ethyl), and it is not intoxicating.

Mouthwashes and hand sanitizers do contain ethyl alcohol.

Jack465

So even if some of it was absorbed into the body it wouldn't have any effect on our condition?

sg1970

We have hand sanitizer at our AA meetings

SoberinSyracuse

I've had no problems with any other cleaning, medicinal, or hygiene products containing alcohol.

For me at least, it hasn't been necessary to become overly vigilant. I just don't imbibe.

JeffreyAK

Wow, I'm surprised no one has thought about the smell/trigger connection. But then again, at the medical outpatient place I went to, there was hand sanitizer in every room.

My favorite trigger story was due to hand sanitizer. About 6 months in, I was going to toss a little bottle that was in my office, and I read the label to see what was in it - 62.5% ethyl alcohol! I couldn't believe it, no way, so I unscrewed the cap and gave it a whiff. OMG, here comes the world's biggest craving, very very intense. All I could think about what shutting my office door and secretly downing the entire bottle, no one will know, I deserve it as a reward for 6 months sober, blah blah blah. I was shaking in anticipation, the smell was calling and calling...

And then it went away. I came to my senses, tossed the bottle in the garbage, and walked out to my car to take a drive and listen to music for a bit to calm down. Had I been only a few weeks sober, I'm not sure my sobriety would have survived that huge craving.

It doesn't bother me now (I've tested it), but in early recovery smells and tastes can be huge triggers.

ScottFromWI

There have been studies done on this actually. The amount of alcohol that could potentially be absorbed is extremely miniscule.

The bigger issue is probably more psychological than physical...and if you personally feel it will be an issue for you, I'd suggest avoiding these kinds of products altogether.

freshstart57

It will have an effect only if you believe it will. Even if you bathed in vodka you wouldn't get drunk, but I can understand that would make many a little uncomfortable from a mental point of view.

My own approach is to believe it doesn't affect me, and so it doesn't. Mind over matter, I suppose. I find things are simpler that way.

awuh1

I think it's wise to be vigilant about the way alcohol might be absorbed into your system Jack4655. Dee's observation that he found himself using twice as much mouthwash when it contained alcohol is quite interesting. I think this sort of vigilance will serve you well.

I got sick once in early sobriety and used NyQuil to get to sleep. I had no intention of drinking. That's all it took for me to get started.

Wholesome

I remember reading something about babies and hand sanitizer, some babies got really sick because they suck on their hands and the sanitizer is straight alcohol.

SoberinSyracuse

Wow, did it really? I'm glad you got back out of the trap!

Perhaps I'm just not that sensitive. I've had no trouble with mouthwash or even NyQuil. And I was a pretty serious drinker!