New ‘vaporised alcohol’ fad comes under attack

Revellers at a city club were served up “vapour shots” by drinks company ClubCandi on Wednesday night.

The touring bar Vapbar, which is run by ClubCandi, uses a machine to turn alcohol into a vapour, which is then inhaled with a straw by revellers.

However, health experts have warned that bypassing the digestive system can potentially cause dangerous levels of intoxication – the technique causes alcohol to be ingested directly to the bloodstream through the lungs.

The American parent company behind the trend, Vapshot, also boasts that each shot contains just two calories and markets the new drinking craze towards young women.

Dr Niall Campbell, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital in London, which treats patients with both alcohol addiction and eating disorders, has labelled the craze as “worrying” and added that it was important young women were not encouraged to consume alcohol by low-calorie advertising around alcohol products.

“The risk is that women who are dieting will spend money on alcohol and not on food, and there is then a risk that they will become vitamin deficient and they will get brain damage. We don’t need to encourage women to drink any more,” he said.

“Not only could there be a risk of damage to your lungs, but there could also a risk to the brain from high and rapid concentrations of alcohol causing acute intoxication.

Alcohol Focus Scotland acting deputy chief executive Jennifer Curran said: “This latest fad is just another cynical way that alcohol companies are marketing their product to young people.”

However, ClubCandi’s Michael Young has defended the practice and has spoken of bringing this new approach to alcohol to venues all over the country.

He said: “We wholeheartedly believe in the product and have done extensive research on the effects of vapour and found it to be extremely positive.

“We look to give our customers the best experience possible, and feedback from our patrons has been immensely positive to say the least.”