Drinking Everclear | What Makes Grain Alcohol Dangerous?

Everclear, Golden Grain, and Alcohol-95 are the main producers of grain alcohol in the United States. Grain alcohol is considered a neutral spirit. This means that spirits are distilled from any material at or above 95% alcohol by volume. 

Grain alcohol is a form of ethanol or ethyl alcohol. It is likely colorless and odorless. It can be used as an additive for other beverages. 

Grain alcohol, such as Everclear, has a high alcohol by volume (ABV). This type of alcohol contains considerably more alcohol than beer, wine, or hard liquors such as whisky or tequila. 

How Is Everclear (Grain Alcohol) Made?

Grain alcohol receives a higher alcohol content due to the distilling process where pure alcohol is made through fermentation.

The distillation process can take place numerous times. With each distillation, less and less water is absorbed. This gives grain alcohol a high alcohol content.

In fact, some grain alcohol offers a 190 proof version. This high-proof drink is controversial and considered illegal in several U.S. states due to the many dangers it poses.

Effects Of Everclear (Grain Alcohol)

Like most alcohol, grain alcohol can cause you to experience various effects such as:

• reduced inhibitions
• impaired thinking
• slurring of words
• trouble with balance
• slow reaction time

That drinking alcohol may experience any of these effects. Those participating in alcohol abuse, especially when drinking grain alcohol, have a greater risk of urgent complications such as alcohol poisoning.

Who Is At Risk?

Young adults and college students are at a higher risk of experiencing negative effects from grain alcohol. Many times, grain alcohol is cheaper than other brand name options. 

Thrifty college students may seek out the cheapest alcohol with a high alcohol content. This is just one of the ways underage drinking can occur. 

Unfortunately, those who are unfamiliar with grain alcohol and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) may not realize that the high proof grain alcohol they are drinking can have devastating effects and can cause a number of dangers. 

Dangers Of Drinking Everclear (Grain Alcohol)

What makes grain alcohol dangerous? For starters, the high-proof content makes this alcoholic drink incredibly strong. 

Due to such a large amount of alcohol, one may experience more severe effects compared to a regular alcoholic beverage they consume.

Alcohol Poisoning

One danger of consuming grain alcohol is alcohol poisoning. Some of the signs of alcohol poisoning may include:

• slow heart rate
• vomiting
• mental confusion
• seizures
• clammy skin
• low body temperature

Impaired Judgment & Health Issues

Those who drink grain alcohol, especially in the form of binge drinking, can experience brain damage. Since alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, your judgment becomes impaired quickly. 

Due to the fact that grain alcohol contains a high ABV compared to a standard drink, serious intestinal issues can occur such as bleeding or inflammation.  

Accidents

In addition to this, grain alcohol is highly flammable. Those who are inebriated are likely to experience more frequent falls and accidents. On top of this, those who smoke and drink are even more at risk of accidentally starting a fire.

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