Smarie78

Has anyone drank this when nothing was left? How common is this with alcoholics?

ScottFromWI

It happens to be certain, and people have posted about it here before. Whether it is "common" or not really doesn't matter all that much, it's a very destructive and dangerous practice. Have you been doing so?

Smarie78

My Abf does when he can't get his hands on alcohol. Or heck, even when he can. He has drunken hairspray from a can and caught him with a near empty bottle of men's aftershave cologne and hand sanitizer this weekend. I thought I would come across it more commonly among alcoholics but haven't. I tried to search for it in the threads and was very surprised how uncommon it is. It is highly disturbing to witness.

wildflower70

Hi Smarie,

I had an alcoholic boyfriend who drank rubbing alcohol and mouthwash. He passed away at 35, from liver failure. I'm not saying this to disturb you, However I would take this behavior seriously.

Blessings

biminiblue

If I knew someone had done this, I would call 911 for emergency medical help. Ingesting stuff like this could do long-term damage to organs.

He needs more help than you can give him. I'm so sorry you have this happening.

BrendaChenowyth

And vanilla extract or any of those other extracts, they're alcohol based. And cough syrup.

Yes, we will reach for anything in a pinch. Funny how everyone that does it wonders if they're the only one. Nope!


I have been using a mouth wash with alcohol in it. It doesn't seem to bother me.. it's almost empty and the next bottle is alcohol free.. I'm just wondering how much of it absorbs in the capillaries in the ten or fifteen second I swoosh it around. I cheat, I don't do it that long. LoL. I know at a wine tasting, people get sloshed even if they spit everything out, and that you can get drunk via enema.

My mouth rinse hasn't been causing any cravings or symptoms, I just wonder if I should avoid it anyway..

Smarie78

I should have called 911 when I found the empty bottles (of chemicals). This would have also been an easy way to get him out of my home too since I am struggling with that. He was sober yesterday, but as usual when I left for work today he is drinking again. Strangely hoping it's vodka - ha. That's when you know it's bad when you are praying they are just drinking the less toxic chemical.

I will be calling the ambulance when I get home - get him out and let him decide when he's had enough. Just not in my home.

SnazzyDresser

Stephen King and Kitty Dukakis have both talked about drinking mouthwash in the depths of their alcohol addiction.

BrendaChenowyth

I never knew that about Stephen King..

There turns out to be a lot of prolific people in the creative arts who have struggled with addiction..

BullDog777

i've drank the vanilla extract and mouthwash, but the stuff in sanitizer, perfume, cologne, hairspray and rubbing alcohol is a different mix of a very different alcohol, and it can make you blind among being extremely toxic to ingest. These alcohols are called isopropyl alcohols while vodka and other consumable alcohols are very dilluted ethyl alcohol also known as ethanol which is distilled and combined with various sugars.

SoberCAH

I used to have a chum a knew from the drinking days and from his attempts to get sober.

We nick-named him the "Listerine Man" for obvious reasons.

He drank himself to death a few years ago, when he was ~50 years old.

It was tragic.

Your boyfriend (don't know what abf means) sounds like he is in late-stage alcoholism and he is behaving pathologically.

Keep us posted and let us know if we can help.

sainos

I watched an episode of Intervention once with a woman called Lesley on who drank huge bottles of mouthwash. And one where this young boy, with his liver on the point of failing in hospital, got out of bed and filled a cup up with hand sanitizer and and water and drank it.
My DILs brother drank aftershave. He wasn't too well after he did it though.

JeffreyAK

I would have drank mouthwash once, if I had had any in the house. Late at night, out of alcohol, too drunk to get to the store but starting to shake, which I knew was going to mean a sleepless night laying in bed sweating. I searched everywhere for alcohol of any kind, but was out of mouthwash and vanilla extract and didn't have any aftershave or hand sanitizer. That was a grim feeling, knowing I was doomed to go through sleepless detox and being unable to get any alcohol in me, I am soooo glad I'm way past all that.

By the way, rubbing alcohol is poisonous, it's not the Ethyl that drunks know and love, it's a different chemical that happens to be called "alcohol" just because it's in the same chemical class as Ethyl.

Smarie78

It baffles me. But then again, all of it does. I have heard of mouthwash and I suppose I can see that or even vanilla. It's still shocking, but I can see it. When my partner was in a recent binge (less recent than this one), I remember walking in on liter size bottles of mouthwash emptied decorating his room among the liquor bottles.
I couldn't understand why these, if they likely cost as much as cheap wine? (which he also drank). The recent bout of household and grooming products he drank just sickens me. To go up to his lips while passed out to see if I could smell wine, but instead I smell perfume, is enough to shock anyone. I wish I could go into his head and understand why. I can't.

Forward12

I've read a few times with those in desperation to reach for mouthwash or hand sanitizer, but even in my worst times I wouldn't think of doing it. By ingesting those chemicals is highly toxic and he sounds to be clearly out of control. I would boot him out and get him into rehab ASAP.

uncorked

With the exception of mouthwash, I had never heard of hand sanitizer, hair spray or vanilla until I went to rehab. They go through every single thing you bring, and a couple of my aerosol cans (sunscreen, hair products) were confiscated, as was my EOS lip balm. The nurses said the EOS has alcohol and they've had people eat it! Gross!! And with aerosol cans, some people sniff them for a high. Haven't heard of perfume though, that's pretty hard core. They allowed us to have spray bottles of perfume/cologne in our rooms.

Smarie78

I'm surprised they would allow spray bottles in rehab. Yep, I too never knew about the other items. His mother warned me once to hide them (cleaning products, hairspray, perfume, etc.) and I thought she was exaggerating, until I realized I was packing up nearly everything in my home the other day except for clothing and furniture to keep out of his reach.

I'm heading back home tonight here soon and I don't know what I will find, as usual. But if I smell any chemical I will call an ambulance. I need him to leave and I have gotten to my bottom now in knowing that even I cant prevent his death - something I've been trying so hard with every fiber in me to stop. If I make him leave, at least maybe it will be enough for him to stop. I have always let him a safe place to land. Kicking him out may just save him since the good lord knows NOTHING I have done or am doing is working.

Dharma33

Hi, Smarie-

I'm sorry you are going through this. It's good you understand that there is nothing you can do to make him stop. That's up to him as you point out- and it is true.

Are you getting some help for yourself; such as counseling or Al-Anon meetings? We alcoholics, when sick in our addiction, can really wreak emotional havoc on our significant others. Take care of yourself

I'm glad you're here and please keep us posted- this is an amazing place for support.

MattM316

That's something I've never done and never considered doing.
I went through a short stage of cough medicine but that didn't last long thankfully.