Warning over 'alcohol through eye' craze

Published on Monday 9 August 2004 01:51

DOCTORS yesterday warned against a new craze of taking alcohol through an eye socket.

Pubs and clubs are selling drinks to be taken through the eye because revellers believe they get them drunk quicker and stay in their system longer.

The main drink used is the cinnamon-flavoured alcoholic shot Aftershock, which has a potent 40 per cent alcohol content. However, it can leave the eye painful and bloodshot, and overuse of the technique could lead to blindness, say experts.

Janice Connor, a counsellor for young people with Glasgow Council on Alcohol, said: "There are many weird and wonderful ways of trying to get drunk quicker and this unfortunately looks like it is the latest craze."

Dr Peter Rice, senior lecturer for the abuse of drink and drugs at the University of Dundee, warned: "Alcohol is an irritant to eyes and together with the other constituents of the drink, it is likely to cause considerable damage to the eyes. Once you get scarring on the cornea that can be a very serious problem.

"The whole craze has very serious risks involved. It is very dangerous indeed."

But a spokesperson for Scotland’s biggest nightclub operator, Luminar, said: "We ensure people behaving irresponsibly leave our clubs and that includes people taking shooters in the eye."