• Germany edition
Photo: DPA

Teens warned of risks from 'vodka tampon' use

Published: 30 Mar 11 09:11 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20110330-34051.html

Police in southern Germany warned this week of a dangerous new form of alcohol abuse among teens – using tampons soaked in vodka to get drunk quickly and hide the smell. The practice poses grave health risks, they said.

Police in the Baden-Württemburg city of Tuttlingen responded Tuesday to growing online chatter among teenagers that they could become intoxicated using the vodka tampons without having alcohol on their breath.

This is not true, police said, denying that it was an effective way to get drunk. They also warned girls that the alcohol could damage vaginal walls and increase the risk of infection. Boys have reportedly also been using tampons anally.

“I believe this is very dangerous,” head of a children’s clinic in Singen told southern German paper Südkurier last week. “For us this is a new thing.”

In early March a 14-year-old girl collapsed during a street festival in Konstanz, apparently highly intoxicated from using a vodka tampon, the paper reported.

Youth researchers have since found out that this form of alcohol abuse is trendy in the region.

But teens who believe they can hide the smell of alcohol consumption are wrong, experts told the paper.

The development shows a new dimension for alcohol abuse among teens, county social worker Axel Goßner told the Südkurier.

“Alcohol is no longer a stimulant, but a means to an end,” he said.

The trend arose among teens in the United States, where it is known as “slimming.” But it has reportedly caught on in Scandinavia and other places where alcohol is difficult for young people to acquire.

Some Facebook groups are even devoted to exchanging tips on the topic, complete with how-to videos and instructions.

The Local/DAPD/ka

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Your comments about this article:

10:02 March 30, 2011 by annan1063
Ok, now I have heard it all...DISGUSTING!
10:28 March 30, 2011 by Heinrich der Zweite
Police say the breathalyzer adaptors are working well.
11:06 March 30, 2011 by moistvelvet
Oh please I'm having my breakfast!! Bloody mary anyone?
12:06 March 30, 2011 by auniquecorn
poohalyzer?
13:29 March 30, 2011 by Aelfgifu1
This is an urban legend: http://www.snopes.com/risque/kinky/vodka.asp
13:39 March 30, 2011 by The-ex-pat
13:29 March 30, 2011 by Aelfgifu1

This is an urban legend: http://www.snopes.com/risque/kinky/vodka.asp

No, it is on an urban legend website under "undetermined"
13:43 March 30, 2011 by Aelfgifu1
Read the whole link and you will know that it's been around for years and mostly physically impossible to do.
16:49 March 30, 2011 by Loth
In India the are drinking cow urine. They say it too can make you high and there is even a soda pop with it in. There are Videos on Google Video. Yuk. I would not go near it.
18:10 March 30, 2011 by William Thirteen
it starts with the slimming, then comes the pegging!
19:06 March 30, 2011 by botulismo
Yes, this was on CS. The clip has been shown around the internet. The likely scenarios are:

1.) Teens are saying people are doing that as a joke because CSI said it and they enjoy antagonizing law enforcement.

2.) Teens are stupid and will do anything to alter their consciousness and they believe what they see on a clip of a show online (or what they hear through word of mouth.)

Probably a mix of the two.
20:58 March 30, 2011 by Landmine
pretty soon you will see cops with fart breathalyzers....
22:25 March 30, 2011 by fryintl
Fart Breathelyzers? Cum on now, arent you mixing things up some?

I do love the almost ending statement...

?"Alcohol is no longer a stimulant, but a means to an end,?" he said.

It may be coming to an end, but is the end meant what youthink it means or some other more occult "END"...funny

It was an END to some of the boys....in their ends
00:47 March 31, 2011 by xx.weirich.xx
Oh dear God. Ew.
02:17 March 31, 2011 by DOZ
An Youth gets stupider with every generation.
05:11 March 31, 2011 by vonSchwerin
This only proves that yes, teenagers really are stupid. Shoving a vodka-soak tampon up your anus? Wow. That boy must be REALLY desperate to get drunk.
10:02 March 31, 2011 by alf2
In England there is a craze of putting shots of vodka in their eyes. I'm amazed we aren't extinct.
11:24 April 1, 2011 by scottfree
No, Teens aren't stupid, they are clever. The whole idea is to ingest vodka WITHOUT you knowing about it. Thus they can pass in school, at home or with the police (possibly), where if they drank the vodka it could more easily be detected. Yes, it is a stupid thing to do, as they should just be allowed to drink if they choose (in moderation), but we are stupid because we read about this in the news instead of hearing about it from our teenagers! Parents, wake up.
17:01 April 1, 2011 by Heinrich-Hammler
No, they're pretty much just stupid. This is yet another stupid thing on the long list of stupid things that teens do to get high or drunk. I agree with you that parents need to wake up, they are the reason teens are allowed to be so stupid. Positive parenting does not = allowing your kid to roam the streets, hang out with losers, and do pretty much anything you please.
21:31 April 1, 2011 by Zlik
Vicks inhalers with housing discarded is mind busting too.
00:42 April 2, 2011 by Ludinwolf
That was just a pre-April fools!!

Teens arent stupid, but have no power to see further into their lives/future.

That s why they are 'cool'... and as they get older as we are now... they become like us: wary ... too concious and safe!! and this is not 'cool' you know??? lol
23:47 April 2, 2011 by FN Cee
Do not fret ... these little quirks in behavior are just tiny steps and examples of exactly how gene pools are cleaned up a little at a time.
01:24 April 13, 2011 by Michael Röhm
I'd be more concerned that my teens were not buying their vodka directly from gruff Russian immigrants who want to share their knowledge of Gogol, Dostoevsky and Aleichem with them. I mean, have some culture, kids!
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