Can i drink ethyl alcohol (ethanol)

The properties and taste of such beverages as whiskey or vodka, are known for the lion's share of the adult population. However, many of us can enter into a stupor various chemical names - "methanol", "ethanol" or "ethyl alcohol". Can I drink these fluids? If so, what is the difference between them, what could be the negative consequences of their use?

Can I drink ethyl alcohol?

Can. Within reasonable limits. Many have heard stories that the use of pure ethyl alcohol has often caused serious poisoning, loss of vision and even death. In fact, scary stories have nothing to do with this product. Most likely, something else was used. Vodka is made from ethanol by diluting it with water - this information is enough to understand that this substance is not an absolute poison.

However, the answer to the question of whether ethyl alcohol can be consumed depends on the presence of contraindications, which include:

• individual intolerance, allergic reactions;
• age up to 18 years;
• pregnancy and feeding;
• diseases of the digestive tract, heart, blood vessels;
• mental problems;
• other contraindications related to the use of any alcoholic beverages.

In order to understand what ethanol is - ethanol, whether it is possible to drink it and in what quantities, it is necessary to know in general terms how it is produced. This substance is obtained by the method of distillation from food products (most often from fruits, potatoes, cereals and other raw materials of plant origin).

Alcohol ethanol is the most common basis for the production of alcoholic beverages, medical antiseptics. Medical alcohol is 100% ethanol. The difference between this product and food ethyl is even more pure (no impurities). And it can also be taken inside. However, if you use ethanol in its pure form (96-100%) without prior dilution with water, you can burn your throat and oral cavity without using it. And intoxication can become instantaneous, and it will be 2.5 times stronger than from classical vodka.

Dangerous similarity

Speaking about the toxicity of ethanol, it is most often confused with two other types of substances, which organic chemistry also refers to the category of "alcohols". It:

• methanol - technical alcohol, which is a powerful poison. Even 100 ml of this fluid causes immediate poisoning and inevitable death. In rare cases, a person can be saved, but mostly methanol manages to hit most of the organs, including the brain. Earlier in the workplace, there were cases when technical alcohol was used instead of ethyl alcohol, which led to disastrous consequences. According to external signs and smell, they are really difficult to distinguish from each other. Therefore, before drinking alcohol, it is necessary to exclude the possibility that it is methanol;
• propanol. He also has no external differences from ethanol. It is much less toxic than methyl alcohol. Used primarily as a solvent. In ordinary life is found in its pure form is very rare. As for the possible poisoning of the body, it is not excluded, it depends on the individual characteristics.

How to use, so as not to abuse?

Much is said about the harm of alcohol. There is an opinion that it is better to drink pure medical alcohol (ethanol), having previously diluted it with water, than to give preference to "chemical" wines, port wines and even vodka, which is also often forged. Perhaps it is, but there are several "but".

Firstly, pure alcohol (even with the addition of water) does not differ in a particularly pleasant taste. Moreover, it is almost impossible to drink it. And if there is not enough water to take, then it irritates the throat and mouth. Secondly, ethanol without impurities is very difficult to find, unless you just ask a doctor’s friend.

Quality checking

In order to protect yourself from buying fake alcohol, you should purchase it only from trusted sources. For self-examination, you can conduct a series of experiments.

• We take clean water and the product we have in a 1: 1 ratio. Quickly rinse your mouth with the mixture and spit it out. There is a taste of plastic - low-quality alcohol (with impurities, possibly toxic).
• We make a weak solution of potassium permanganate in water. Add it to alcohol (1: 3). After 5 minutes, check the color of the mixture - a good alcohol should turn the color of potassium permanganate.
• If you have nothing to lose, you can burn alcohol and watch the color of the flame. It should be blue. The presence of a greenish tint indicates that it is a technical alcohol. Using burning, you can determine the approximate strength of the drink: the brighter the flame, the more degrees.

Naturally, the alcohol should not have a hazy shade.

If everything is checked, but after drinking the drink it became bad (even if you drank a little), then it is better to immediately call a doctor: every minute is poisoned.

"Ethyl" rules

If the decision to drink ethanol in its pure form is still made, then several rules must be observed. They concern not only the prudent choice of a drink, but also the process of drinking. If it is often said about alcoholic beverages that their abuse is fraught with serious problems, then you need to be even more careful with ethanol, because it causes intoxication and addiction faster. The following rules must be followed to minimize negative effects:

• drink better slowly;
• pure ethanol should not be mixed with other alcoholic beverages;
• it is necessary to know the norm (it is not to feel the complete emotional and physical "decay" in the morning);
• bite alcohol is necessary. This will save the stomach and reduce the urgency of intoxication.

Ethanol abuse leads to:

• disorders of the nervous system;
• indifference to the outside world, degradation;
• addiction, alcoholism;
• pathologies of the liver, heart, kidneys.

Reception of ethanol to instant death does not exactly lead: it is non-toxic and is a food product. However, if ethyl alcohol is available, you can drink it or not, in the case of a particular person, it depends on many factors. So, do not do this in the presence of contraindications and a tendency to addictions. To drink or not to drink - everyone decides for himself.