title: Innovative alcohol use: assessing the prevalence of alcohol without liquid and other non-oral routes of alcohol administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Though case studies, media reports, and anecdotal evidence point to creative forms of alcohol use such as "eyeballing," inhalation through vaporizers and other "alcohol without liquid" (AWOL) devices, and "slimming" as a growing trend, no empirical study has assessed the veracity of these claims. The present study attempts to debunk, confirm, or alter the popular perception that young adults are administering alcohol in novel ways.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-report paper survey was administered to 2349 young adults selected for inclusion using a stratified random sampling technique. Respondents were asked to indicate all of the ways in which they had administered alcohol and presented options ranging from traditional oral consumption from a cup, can, or bottle to innovative techniques referenced by medical reports and news outlets. The prevalence of each form of innovative use was reported and explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Innovative alcohol use was very rare in the sample. Only 25 of 2349 participants (1.1%) had engaged in one or more of the creative methods of alcohol consumption. Among these individuals, most reported either using an AWOL device and/or administering alcohol anally. Vaginal administration and "eyeballing" were only reported by three and one respondents, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It appears that innovative alcohol use is more than an urban legend but that innovative use, even among a population with high rates of alcohol and drug use, is rare. Regardless, physicians and emergency medical personnel need to be aware of and prepared for dealing with innovative alcohol use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 5062 Colvard North, Charlotte, NC 28223, United States. Electronic address: johnstogner@uncc.edu.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Stogner
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Criminology & Law, University of Florida, PO Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States. Electronic address: eassey.john@gmail.com.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Eassey
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Avenue, Ross Hall 5th Floor, Little Rock, AR 72204-1099, United States. Electronic address: jmbaldwin@ualr.edu.
authors.forename: Julie Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Georgia Southern University, PO Box 8105, Statesboro, GA 30460, United States. Electronic address: bryanmiller@georgiasouthern.edu.
authors.forename: Bryan Lee
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: AWOL; Alcohol vaporizer; Alcohol without liquid; Anal alcohol administration; Ocular alcohol administration; Vaginal alcohol administration