Greetings from my Anatomy and Physiology class. Someone in my class asked if you can get drunk by sitting in a bathtub full of vodka. So far, the teacher has no clue. I figured if anyone knows whether this is true or not it will be you guys. Good Luck!!

You mean by skin absorption. Interesting problem, but I doubt that alcohol molecules are small enough to penetrate the skin and cause drunkenness in the subject willing to pay several hundred dollars for a one-time vodka immersion just to test the theory.
Bourbon, on the other hand, may work and I'll be willing to sacrifice my body, for science, for such an experimental dunking.

Looking at some safety notices on websites shows that alcohol (of various types) can be absorbed through the skin. Whether the rate is sufficient to get you drunk is not stated. It also warns that alcohol can be painful on your sensitive bits, so take care if experimenting.

Biggles, what were the kinds of alcohol that can be absorbed? Or better yet, what was the web site??

Try putting alcohol "absorbed through skin" into Google and you'll get a lot of results. Don't forget the "" around those three words to limit the search results.

Inebriation caused by osmosis, interesting driving under the influence defence.

Quote:

---

Absorption of chemicals through the skin depends on a number of factors, the most important of which are concentration, duration of contact, solubility, physical condition of the skin and part of the body exposed.
The skin is composed of multiple, lipid-containing layers. The outermost layer, the stratum corneum, functions as the primary protective barrier. In order for percutaneous absorption to occur the chemical must pass through this tough layer and reach the living epidermis. As with all lipid-containing membranes, the skin can be easily penetrated by lipid-soluble materials. Once a chemical gains access to the dermis, rapid and complete absorption is usually assured.
Differences in skin structure and condition also affect the degree to which chemicals can be absorbed. In general, toxicants cross thin skin much more easily than thick skin. Roughtly, the ease of absorption follows the following schedule: scrotum>>face>forearm>palm>foot. When skin is damaged by abrasion or chemical irritation, penetration of chemicals increases.
Wet, saturated skin, as often occurs during prolonged glove use, is four- to five times more susceptible to chemical absorption. Various organic solvents may also alter absorption of chemicals. Carrier solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) can facilitate movement of other chemicals through the skin.

---

From here, lab safety. Alcohol is mentioned on that page as one of the chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin.
Another page states that absorption through the skin of Butyl Alcohol can have the same effect as taking it orally.

Quote:

---

Ingestion:
May have narcotic effect. May cause abdominal pain, nausea, headache, dizziness, and diarrhea. Large doses may affect kidneys and liver. May affect hearing. Estimated mean lethal dose is 3 - 7 ounces.
Skin Contact:
An irritant to the skin, causing a loss of natural oils. Can be absorbed through skin with symptoms paralleling those from ingestion.

---

From this page:

===
Absorption of ethyl alcohol into the blood can occur through the skin and via the lungs, though the major route of taking ethyl alcohol into the body is by drinking alcoholic beverages.

Absorption through the skin has been confirmed by a report (Dalt et al, 1991) of a case of a 1 – month old infant who became intoxicated as a result of absorption of ethyl alcohol from dressings applied to the stump of the umbilical cord and the skin adjacent to it.

Additional confirmation of skin absorption comes from a microdialysis study in which a long probe with was inserted under the skin for a distance of 3 cm. Ethyl alcohol was then placed in a small area on the skin above the probe while the subcutaneous area was being perfused. Analysis of the perfusate indicated the presence in an amount that was related to the extent of skin exposure (Anderson et al, 1991).
===

A one-month old infant became intoxicated just because of contact with ethyl alcohol from his dressings, so it seems quite believable that a full-grown adult can get drunk by immersing in a bath-tub full of it. In any case, there seem to be three main parameters here- size of the individual, area of contact, and period of exposure. Besides these, the pressure (which I'm guessing is greater as you go deeper in the tub) and concentration of alcohol would also have some effect- it's 35-60% for vodka and 70-85% when used as a disinfectant.

Very interesting replies. My doubts about alcohol being absorbed through the skin were based on practical observation, not experiment.
Before getting innoculations or having blood drawn, an alcohol solution is rubbed on the skin site to kill topical bacteria. I never got a buzz from this use. Probably not enough alcohol was used.

I've used alcohol on mosquito bites with no reaction.

My daughter, when a small child, was wiped down with alcohol to reduce a fever that she had. The rapid evaporation of the alcohol reduced her body temperature, without any hangover or hiccups.

Thanks everybody!! When I told the guy in class that alcohol CAN be absorbed through your skin, possibly with a narcotic effect, he was overjoyed. Interestingly, when I told him that the alcohol can burn your sensitive skin, it did not dampen his enthusiasm.

Dampen his enthusiasm by reminding him that your skin is an organ designed to eliminate toxins. There is no guarantee that such an experiment won't cause life-threatening complications.

A common misconception is that Archimedes was bathing in water, he was actually bathing in alcohol and when his wife found him so she screamed "you reeka bourbon !".


Sorry

No need to apologise, lol!

Alcohol may be absorbed through the skin, but the adult liver is an amazing machine, and would eliminate the absorbed alcohol at a rate that the intoxicating effects of it would not be felt.

Don't forget that the umbilical cord of an infant is a direct line to the bloodstream, and would be more readily absorbed into the body. Also an immature liver would not screen out the alcohol as well as an adult organ.

How do you measure intoxication in an infant? Would it be through blood tests? I can't imagine a baby who can't yet crawl having to walk down the center line of a highway!