Concern about Alcohol in e-liquids...

[JeffTM]

Without disclosing too much, I just need to say that I'm sober and have not had a drink in almost five years. I CAN NOT drink and will not drink. I've heard here and there that sometimes alcohol is added to e-juices. If I vape these, am I taking alcohol into my system in an amount that could potentially cause me to get ever-so-slightly tipsy? Are there any liquids you know of that don't contain any alcohol? I'd really appreciate any help you can offer.

 

[foggy1]

I can appreciate your concern but I believe any alcohol used in juices would burn off like when used in foods.
someone with more medical/cooking experience may come and tell us more.

 

[markfm]

PGA is commonly used to thin VG while retaining throat hit -- pure grain alcohol, aka everclear, generally around 190 proof.

Everclear's not sold in NY, so I use 160 proof Devil's Kitchen vodka in my own DIY.

We're talking low percentages here -- I use about 5% max in my liquid.

Say someone's pushing it up, maybe 15%.

In a day, vaping heavily, total consumption is about 5 ml. 15% of 5 ml is 0.75 ml. That's only 0.025 ounces (30 ml to an ounce), consumed over the entire course of the day (5 ml is a LOT of juice to vape, you aren't going to do that in less than multiple hours). Take it down to equivalent hard liquor of 80 - 90 proof and it would be 0.05 ounces, over many hours.

This is based on the assumption of no alcohol being lost in the process of vaping, that it's all being ingested, a worst-case scenario.

I wouldn't worry about losing sober time due to vaping, but it's a good question.

 

[JeffTM]

PGA is commonly used to thin VG while retaining throat hit -- pure grain alcohol, aka everclear, generally around 190 proof.

Everclear's not sold in NY, so I use 160 proof Devil's Kitchen vodka in my own DIY.

We're talking low percentages here -- I use about 5% max in my liquid.

Say someone's pushing it up, maybe 15%.

In a day, vaping heavily, total consumption is about 5 ml. 15% of 5 ml is 0.75 ml. That's only 0.025 ounces (30 ml to an ounce), consumed over the entire course of the day (5 ml is a LOT of juice to vape, you aren't going to do that in less than multiple hours). Take it down to equivalent hard liquor of 80 - 90 proof and it would be 0.05 ounces, over many hours.

This is based on the assumption of no alcohol being lost in the process of vaping, that it's all being ingested, a worst-case scenario.

I wouldn't worry about losing sober time due to vaping, but it's a good question.

Thank you. That's rather reassuring. It won't stop me from vaping these liquids, but I'd definitely prefer liquids with zero alcohol if they are available, just for peace of mind.

 

[akingsley9000]

As far as I know the only time you will find alcohol in any of the e-liquid is if you make it yourself or buy it from someone that makes it themselves. If you buy from say liquidxpress or backwoods brew or any of the other vendors, you will not find alcohol and any of their liquids. They maybe flavored to taste like a particular alcohol or mixed drink but do not actually contain any alcohol.

 

[Willriker]

I can appreciate your concern but I believe any alcohol used in juices would burn off like when used in foods.
someone with more medical/cooking experience may come and tell us more.

Alcohol does have a lower boiling point than water. This should be within range of an atomizer's operating temperature. But, i do not believe you can make a comparison to foods. When you evaporate off the alcohol, in foods, it is put into the atmosphere. When it is put through a PV it is funneled to the mouth, there is no where for it to escape.

That being said, your not even going to get a little bit tipsy. Most people i know go through ~20 ml of fluid a week. Even if you were to to go 25% alcohol (being extremely outrageous) that amounts to a couple teaspoons a week. On top of that, i dont know what the absobtion rate for alcohol vapor is. I doubt your body will even absorb that much. Youll probably just exhale most of it out.

If anything, you will experience OD symptoms from all that nicotine intake far far far before you have any effects from the alcohol.

 

[kushka]

As people have pointed out. it burns and is in a teeny amount - and also when it is used - it is used to thin out vg - which is very thick and thus hard to work with. Thus, even if you are a heavy vaper that vaped vg only at worse you would get a teaspoon a week - But if you don't want even a teeny bit, smoke mostly PG - even 50/50 pg/vg is thin enough I never add it in DIY e-liquid- it is only when it is greater the 50%vg that the e-juice is so thick you need a thinner.

 

[sosolidgold]

iv got one of those interlock ignition devices to start my car. which means i have to blow into it every time to start my car. i soak my atomizer in alcohol every night sometimes there is alcohol left in it and i can taste it on my first vape.

i have never had a failed test

 

[VeeDubb65]

Just for the record, ~20ml/week?!?!?!?

I was smoking almost a pack a day about 2 months ago and I'm using half that much liquid at most.


All that aside, the math is correct. Even if you take an EXTREME scenario like 15% alcohol and using 2-4 times as much liquid a day as most people, you're looking at a TINY amount of alcohol taken in over a long period of time.

If you take a more reasonable 5% content, and you're using 2ml/day (50% more than me) you're now talking about roughly the same amount of alcohol as you would get from two to three drops of hard liquor out of an eye dropper, and that would be spread out over the course of a day. You'd get more from eating an apple that was a little bruised.

I've never dealt with alcoholism personally, but I have a very hard time imagining that the kind of exposure you're talking about is meaningful.

On a much more important note, I DO have friends and family that have dealt with alcoholism and worse. Good for you on your 5 years.

 

[sugarmama]

JeffTM, thanks for posting this question - I was wondering the same thing myself.

 

[frisco]

JeffTM, I also can't drink. I've been doing this now for several months with no issues whatsoever. I don't think it will present a problem. It's a good question, one I didn't even think about. There is a friends of Bill's forum here. It doesn't seem very active but there may be more info regarding your question.

 

[mrjaguar]

been sober a while now, and been vaping about a year, I've vaped stuff I KNOW has alcohol in it, I was worried at first, but I've not had any problems at all.

 

[Willriker]

Just for the record, ~20ml/week?!?!?!?

I was smoking almost a pack a day about 2 months ago and I'm using half that much liquid at most.

heheh yeah, they're into the dripping scene. Every two to three puffs they add another drop. So, they fly through the stuff. I just recently started vaping (9th day smoke free) and id estimate that i am 10-12 ml / week. But, i dont do the direct dripping nearly as much. I went with the 20 in my estimate because most people i know use that much.

ILike i said, i had no idea that that was considered a lot. I thought it was normal for someone who direct rips to consume more fluid than the guy who doesnt.

 

[girtablilu]

Excellent question, JeffTM. I had thoughts about this too.

 

[SimpleSins]

I'd be curious from a legal standpoint. If you were on parole for an alcohol-related offense, is any alcohol in your ejuice going to show up in your bloodstream and screw you up as far as a test?

And on another point, just because you're buying premade as opposed to homemade does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of some alcohol content. For much the same reasons DIYers may add PGA, so might the vendors. Also, it is a base in some flavoring agents, too, so just using that might add some alcohol content, albeit miniscule.

I think I saw where you can buy your own breathalyzers fairly inexpensively. If I weren't endlessly broke, it would make a great experiment.

 

[JeffTM]

On a much more important note, I DO have friends and family that have dealt with alcoholism and worse. Good for you on your 5 years.

Thank you very much. I was a bit paranoid that this new hobby of mine that COMPLETELY got me off cigarettes was just as dangerous. I feel better after reading all this. Thanks everyone.

 

[VeeDubb65]

I'd be curious from a legal standpoint. If you were on parole for an alcohol-related offense, is any alcohol in your ejuice going to show up in your bloodstream and screw you up as far as a test?

Well, the math here is pretty simple actually.

1. Take the total volume of alcohol we're talking about here, and just to be on the safe side, take the "worst case scenario" that was posted first. .05oz over the course of an entire day, and that's assuming juice with a high alcohol content and extremely high consumption, AND 100% absorption, all of which are unlikely.

2. Take the average volume of blood in the human body, which is around 165oz.

Answer 0.0003% B.A.C. and even then, that would be if you consumed it all at once before your liver could even begin metabolizing it, rather than spread out over the period of an entire day.

 

[Para]

I just need to say that I'm sober and have not had a drink in almost five years.

A tip of the hat to you....Congrats! Like the others say, there's practically a zero chance of any alcohol getting into your system; but I would guess it's a mental thing about it; and that's OK for you to place such a high level of importance to it.

 

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[sosolidgold]

common beverages have traces of alcohol in it... sprite has alcohol in it