Alcohol-Soaked Tampons: Danger Or Just A Myth?

Tampons, best friends of women worldwide during ‘that time of the month’ – are not only there to soak the blood coming out of the body but also to soak in alcohol. Or so some people, mostly teens, claim and are actively practicing! It can probably be a myth because there has never been a solid case rather than just ‘he said she said, but in those cases, alcohol is in the bloodstream but not in the stomach.

It could only mean it entered the system through some other way than the mouth. There can be many reasons why they should use tampons to get intoxicated, even with their low holding capability (tampons can hold a maximum of 10 ml, whereas the general shot glass is 30 – 40 ml) –

• It’s easier to get intoxicated through the vagina as the alcohol goes straight to the bloodstream, taking less time.
• This process helps not get caught through the Breathalyzer test (a device Blood Alcohol Content in a person’s breath) as alcohol doesn’t go through the mouth.
• Using tampons means not dealing with the unpleasant taste of alcohol that most teens do not enjoy.
• To bypass getting into trouble with strict parents, who might realize their kids are drunk from the breath.

However, having some benefits to this process does not make it a good habit for health. Soaking tampons in alcohol can cause a range of complicated health issues in women –

• There is no filter to the intoxication level. When the alcohol goes through the stomach, it decreases the effect before the alcohol reaches the bloodstream, which does not happen here as it directly enters the vagina into the blood.
• The vagina is a delicate and balanced organ. It has a certain amount of various bacteria that are necessary for the healthy sexual organs of a woman. Alcohol can disturb that balance and stand to cause infections to a very delicate part.
• It creates more chances of alcohol poisoning due to its direct infiltration into the body.
• It can cause vaginal ulcers due to the drying of adjacent tissues. It can also decrease calcium levels.
• The vagina is an over-sensitive organ. Alcohol, a highly acidic substance, will burn and cause pain and discomfort around the region.

So, however tempting this might sound, using alcohol-soaked tampons is a real danger to a woman’s body and can cause far more damage than the few moments of enjoyment that the intoxication will bring.