Health lobby turns up nose at snort' device

by John Harrington Alcohol safety campaigners have urged retailers to be wary of a device ­ used in a bar for the first time last week ­ which allows people to "snort" drinks through their nose or mouth. The Alcohol With Out Liquid (Awol) vaporiser generates oxygen when it is plugged into the mains electricity supply. A cloudy vapour is produced when a few millilitres of spirit are added. This can be "snorted" through a tube directly to the nose or mouth. Awol inventor Dominic Simler said the device created a "mild feeling of well-being and euphoria". It allows punters to consume alcohol without gaining calories or getting hangovers, he said. The Il Bordello bar in Bristol became the first venue to use Awol, and the manufacturers said that national bar operators had also shown an interest. However, Alcohol Concern spokesman Lee Lixenberg said the gadget could fuel irresponsible alcohol consumption. "The way it is being presented it looks like the sort of thing that is supposed to give the strongest hit in the shortest time," he said. "From that point of view I think it is questionable." Jim Minton, spokesman for the Portman Group, said Awol was not covered by its code of practice because it was not a drink. But he added: "We don't think the idea of snorting' alcohol is particularly compatible with the notion of responsible drinking." British Beer & Pub Association spokesman Mark Hastings said Awol could go against its own code, which disallowed anything that fuelled excessive alcohol consumption. "I fail to see how it could be attractive. The joy of the pub is that it allows people to enjoy their drinks with friends. You are not going to enjoy anything by sticking it up your nose." Simler denied that Awol encouraged excessive alcohol consumption because using it for an hour would roughly equate to drinking one shot.