A 13-year-old Texas girl was recently found passed out in her car after having drank four bottles of a homemade, $4 vanilla extract. This is the latest in a slew of cases where teenagers have been hospitalized due to drinking too much alcohol that was made from vanilla extract. If parents are not paying close attention to what their kids are doing, they will be learning a hard lesson when it’s too late.
One way to prevent your child from drinking too much alcohol is by teaching them how to avoid becoming intoxicated while mixing ingredients together at home. If you think this is a good idea, how about you start by watching this short video? It is only two minutes long, and it will give you the tools to save your teenager from making a potentially deadly mistake.
During the Summer, when kids are home all day with nothing to do but hang out with friends and talk on their cell phones, they are more likely to become bored and want to try something new. Although alcohol is not cool for kids under the age of 21, they can still experiment by mixing up homemade drinks without knowing exactly what ingredients they are combining or how much alcohol they are actually putting into their body.
The problem is that too much vanilla extract won’t just make your child tipsy. It will make them drunk. In most cases, they won’t even realize they are getting intoxicated because the vanilla extract is purplish in color and smells like a pie.
Teens who are looking to get drunk on vanilla extract use different methods to create their homemade version of a cheap form of liquor. Some will dump the vanilla beans into bottles of vodka, or even whiskey. Others have been known to pour the extract into dropper bottles and squirt it into beer.
The worst method involves pouring the extract into a water bottle and adding Kool-aid packets to enhance the taste and smell of the alcohol, which is made purple by using food coloring in the Kool-aid mixture. Kids who are trying this are really going for it and may end up having a seizure or being hospitalized.
The good news is that these cases of kids getting drunk off vanilla extract are rare. The bad news is that it can still happen so parents need to stay close watch on their children at all times. Just because they have access to the ingredients, doesn’t mean they will consume the alcohol in front of them.
Teens who have been diagnosed with alcoholism and mental health problems should not be allowed access to hard liquor or any form of alcohol at all. Kids who are diagnosed with autism may also need this type of treatment, as alcohol can be a trigger for them as well.
Can you get drunk off of vanilla extract
The answer for parents is a big YES. The days are over when we only had to worry about underage drinking from kids getting their hands on alcohol from an unlocked cabinet or from obtaining it through a friend because they are going to the pantry and getting vanilla extract drunk.
KIDS ARE GETTING DRUNK OFF VANILLA EXTRACT
Yes, you read that right, they are drinking vanilla extract and are getting drunk.
The craziest part – it’s legal and it’s likely something you have right in your kitchen cupboard. It is one of the appeals of this readily available alcohol.
Unfortunately, kids are coming up with new ways to get a “buzz” and this is just one way they are doing it.
How does it work exactly?
Apparently, kids are going to the grocery store and heading down the baking isle to buy a small bottle of bourbon vanilla extract.
Seems harmless enough, right?
Last year there were many news stories about students sneaking into school with this undercover alcohol. The issue is that the kids are then mixing this bottle of vanilla extract into something such as coffee, drinking it, and then heading to school where they are buzzed.
Now kids are drinking it at home because it is accessible and might be easier to sneak because it isn’t in a locked alcohol closet.
How Much Alcohol is in Vanilla?
Pure vanilla extract is 70 proof and is just a little less than a bottle of vodka. The FDA standards require pure vanilla extract contain a minimum of 35% alcohol.
Getting intoxicated on vanilla is as easy as with any other liquor.
How Much Vanilla Extract Does it Take to Get Drunk?
Because the alcohol level is about the same as most hard alcohol, a couple of shots would do the trick. Obviously tolerance to alcohol and body weight are going to be different for different teens.
While this started at a high school in Atlanta, GA we all know how these types of things spread like wildfire especially once they make their way to social media and parents have to know.
Parents have to know of this new way kids are getting buzzed. They also should know that it could mean a trip to the emergency room.
In one case in Georgia, a student at Grady High School ended up drunk and had to go to the emergency room.
Why is Vanilla Extract Dangerous?
Chris Thomas, a drug counselor with the Wayne County Mental Health Department, told The Wayne Times that drinking vanilla extract is similar to drinking a strong vanilla flavored cough medicine.
Ingestion of vanilla extract is treated similarly to alcohol intoxication and can cause alcohol poisoning. The ethanol will cause central nervous system depression, which may lead to breathing difficulties. Intoxication can cause pupil dilation, flushed skin, digestion issues, and hypothermia.
Drinking Peppermint Extract or Lemon Extract
If you think vanilla extract is harmful, you should know that pure peppermint extract contains 89% alcohol and pure lemon extract is 83%. Both these extracts can cause intoxication.
It’s best that you talk to your teens and inform them that this is dangerous and is not worth being peer pressured into trying.
Does Drinking Vanilla Extract Cause a Hangover?
Because it has the same amount of alcohol as hard liquor like run or vodka, yes…hangovers happen.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT GETTING DRUNK ON VANILLA EXTRACT
It may also be wise to lock up the vanilla extract in your home for the time being. I am sure kids will come up with some other way to try to get buzzed but in the meantime, we can try to nip this in the bud.
Is Drinking Pure Vanilla Extract More Expensive?
Since vanilla is triple the price of most alcohol, it is often out of reach for most teen’s budget. But be aware it is much more accessible which is the appeal.
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS FROM KIDS ACTIVITIES BLOG
With everyone stuck at home during the pandemic, we have been working day and night to create and curate some amazing resources to help.
How much vanilla extract Do you need to get high?
Vanilla extract is 70 proof or about as potent as vodka. gets you drunk fast, has a longer hangover so it is not just for kids. Drinking vanilla extract you will get drunk very quickly and have a long hangover which will last for hours so be careful if your teen can afford the product. do not give it to your teens if they are trying to get the high off of anything else because it may be a bad idea. If they are trying to get the buzz from something else you may be able to find a better way for them to achieve that high.
What is the danger of drinking pure vanilla extract?
Since there is nothing added, you would expect an alcohol level of 70% but it actually has 89% alcohol in it. This means even one shot (about 2-3 ounces) could result in alcohol poisoning, which can lead to coma or death. It can also cause drowsiness and feeling drunk even after drinking only half a glass.
What happens if you eat too much vanilla extract?
If you ingest too much vanilla extract your body will become exhausted and it will be hard for you to walk or talk at all. You may feel hot and begin sweating or go into shock. You may also be breathing rapidly, but if you eat too much vanilla extract it won’t kill you but it could cause brain damage.
Is drinking vanilla extract dangerous?
Yes, plain vanilla extract is dangerous to drink because of its high concentration of alcohol, which can cause alcohol poisoning and other serious health problems.
Can vanilla extract get you drunk?
Yes, vanilla extract is 70 proof or about as potent as vodka. gets you drunk fast and has a longer hangover so it is not just for kids. Drinking vanilla extract you will get drunk very quickly and have a long hangover which will last for hours so be careful if your teen can afford the product. do not give it to your teens if they are trying to get the high off of anything else because it may be a bad idea. If your teen is trying to get the buzz from something else you may be able to find a better way for them to achieve that high.
Can you add vanilla extract to anything?
The answer is no. Vanilla extract is used to flavor food and beverages to give them the taste. In that case, adding vanilla extract would alter the flavor of the food or beverage and would not be considered “pure” or “real” vanilla. It would also alter how much of the substance you might be consuming and could lead to health risks if there is enough in it for your body to absorb it all at once.
They might begin to notice and smell the vanilla extract from their breath or from a class assignment. Vanilla extract is a very potent solution of pure alcohol which is just about as strong as vodka. If your teens are trying to get drunk off of anything else it may be time for you to do some investigating so they do not become sick or intoxicated because of something they tried to use that got them in trouble.
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