Surrogate alcohol is a term for any substance containingethanol, or otheralcohols, that is intentionally consumed by humans but is not meant for human consumption. Some definitions of the term also extend toillegally produced alcoholic beverages.[1]
Consumption of such substances carries extreme health risks, both from the ethanol content and other more toxic substances that may be present. Users risk both acutepoisoning from substances such asmethanol, and chronic poisoning from substances such aslead.[1]
Most people turn to these as a last resort either out of desperation, being underaged or being unable to afford consumable alcoholic beverages (withhomelessalcoholics) or due to lack of access to drinking ethanol (for example with prison inmates and individuals inpsychiatric wards).[citation needed]
Most surrogate alcohols have very high alcoholic levels, some as high as 95%, and thus can lead toalcohol poisoning, along with other symptoms of alcohol intoxication such asvertigo, impairedcoordination,balance andjudgment,nausea,vomiting, blurredvision, and even long-term effects, such asheart failure,stroke, anddeath.[citation needed]
Besidesalcohol, there are many other toxic substances in surrogate alcohol such ashydrogen peroxide,antiseptics,ketones, as well as alcohols other thanethanol (drinking alcohol), such asisopropanol andmethanol. Methanol, and to a far lesser extent isopropanol, is poisonous. The effect of other chemicals on health has not been adequately studied, and so the health risks are unclear.[1] However, observations in countries with high consumption of surrogate alcohols, such as Russia, indicate that the impurities in the consumed drink lead to high mortality rates.[2] Rubbing alcohol can also causeblindness, andcoma.[3]
In December 2016,78 people died from drinking surrogate alcohol, poisoned withmethanol, in the Russian city ofIrkutsk.[4]
Serious harm and even death can quickly result from ingestion due to the high alcohol content and other substances harmful to ingestion present in some brands ofmouthwash.[citation needed] It is a common cause of death among homeless people during winter months, because a person can feel warmer after drinking it.[5]
