# Can alcohol be absorbed rectally? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129 "2004-07-01T22:51:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/41 "2004-07-02T22:49:58Z")
> [@KP](#): > > The blood supply of the “gut” (liver, spleen, stomach, small and large intestines) is one. These organs get their primary supply of oxygenated blood from trunks that come from the aorta, but instead of flowing back to the aorta’s venous counterpart (the ven cava) the blood from most of the gut flows therought hte hepatic portal vein to the LIVER. > … > if you put alcohol in the lower rectum, it can bypass the liver, and enter the general circulation without being detoxified by the liver… Alcohol [and other chemicals in liquor) absorbed “upstream” go to the liver to be destroyed/changed before they are allowed into the general circulation to reach (e.g.) the brain. Absorbing them in the lower rectum bypasses this protection for a bigger systemic “hit” with less absorbed toxin. Yes, entero-hepatic circulation helps catch and detoxify compounds as they are absorbed through the upper GI tract. However, the liver processes ethanol through the alcohol dehydrogenase path at a rate of 0.015 %/hr. It doesn’t matter if the liver recieves the ethanol through the e-h circulation or through other arteries/veins. The rate of detox is limited by enzyme kinetics that can’t be changed by blood supply, coffee or exercise or any other “cure”. If the above quote was true, then the liver would clear ethanol very quickly, and we’d never get drunk. The enhanced effects of an alcoholic enema would be due to a bolus dosage of ethanol, not unlike the “beer bongs” I saw in college that allowed one to get roaring drunk on one or two beers, consumed within a, say, ten minute period. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/42 "2004-07-02T22:59:25Z")
Somehow, the mental picture of a few folks kneeling on a table, knickers to their knees, butts pointed towards a cluster of little glasses with colored umbrellas in them, straws in their sphincters, just doesn’t sound like a party to me. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/43 "2004-07-02T23:54:54Z")
Bottoms Up! ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/44 "2004-07-03T00:39:00Z")
You raise a good point **Vlad/Igor** , but the rate you cited (0.015%/hr) must be a (typical) maximum at saturation (the physiologic BAC analogue of Vmax). IIRC, there’s nothing quirky about the kinetics/control of alcohol dehydrogenase, or alcohol transport to vary it from the standard Michaelis Menton kinetics. I do not know what BAC ([EtOH]) saturates hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, but I suspect it’s well into the inebriation range. Since we’re talking about _reaching_ inebriation, we should still be in the concentration-dependent regime. [EtOH] is significantly higher in the portal hepatic vein than in the systemic circulation (the blood already contains systemic levels before absorbing more) , so e-h absorption should clear faster (in absolute terms) than rectal absorption in the first pass. “First pass” hepatic clearance (metabolism, conjugation, whatever) is a major issue in clinical pharmacology, specifically discussed for each drug/class in the more comprehensive references. It isn’t our friend when the “toxin” is a medical drug administered orally. Some drugs are administered IV instead of PO for precisely this reason (or because of the flipside: increased hepatotoxicity at the higher e-h concentration) I’ll think about this a bit. I must have the Km for alcohol dehydrogenase around here somewhere. That will clear up a lot. Let me know if I missed anything. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/45 "2004-07-03T01:22:36Z")
Um…I hate to ask-but wouldn’t this also give one massive diarrhea? ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/46 "2004-07-03T02:15:57Z")
> [@KP](#): > > You raise a good point **Vlad/Igor** , but the rate you cited (0.015%/hr) must be a (typical) maximum at saturation (the physiologic BAC analogue of Vmax)…I do not know what BAC ([EtOH]) saturates hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, but I suspect it’s well into the inebriation range. That I don’t know, but I suspect that the saturation point is somewhere below “inebriation” (a relative term, as I’ve had perfectly lucid conversations with long-term alcoholics with a BAC of 0.1%). Saturation has to be measured as a function of organ mass; that is, the liver contains millions of these enzymatic pathways, not just one. You can clear one beer a bit faster than several beers, but probably not much faster. > [@](#): > > [EtOH] is significantly higher in the portal hepatic vein than in the systemic circulation (the blood already contains systemic levels before absorbing more) , so e-h absorption should clear faster (in absolute terms) than rectal absorption in the first pass. I was going to disagree with this at first, but re-reading, I see what you’re saying. In absolute terms, yes, the concentration of ethanol in the portal vein is higher, but if the ADH system is already saturated, it doesn’t make any dofference. Alcohol has a very [low volume of distribution](https://www.jatox.com/abstracts/1996/sept/287-cowan.htm), compared to [digoxin](http://www.cybrary.uq.edu.libau/rary.uq/gmc/images/gmc014.pdf), which I know from personal experience you have to pound with a sledghammer all day to get it into solution. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/47 "2004-07-03T02:24:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Um…I hate to ask-but wouldn’t this also give one massive diarrhea? Yeah, if you infused a large enough volume with a large percentage of alcohol, you’d kill off your intestinal normal flora, and possibly wind up with the trots. I suppose you could try to make your own transdermal patch by soaking a band-aid ™ pad in pure-grain, and then putting the band-aid ™ on. Not that I’m suggesting anyone should try this, or condoning it, but it might work. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/48 "2004-07-03T02:36:47Z")
Author Tom Dorsey used rectal administration of alcohol to great effect in one of his Floride crime novels. _Florida Roadkill_, I believe. The “hero” of the novel deals with a violent homophobe by administering a massive vodka enema, then advising him that the only way he will live out the hour is if he can convince someone to give him an enema. In Key West. On New Year’s Eve. Drunk. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/49 "2004-07-03T02:38:17Z")
_Tim_ Dorsey. By the way, I recommend his books. Very funny stuff. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/50 "2004-07-03T03:08:04Z")
> [@Vlad/Igor](#): > > Yeah, if you infused a large enough volume with a large percentage of alcohol, you’d kill off your intestinal normal flora, and possibly wind up with the trots. I believe that **Guinastasia** was refering simply to the effect of introducing a significant volume of any liquid into the colon. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/51 "2004-07-03T03:41:02Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Um…I hate to ask-but wouldn’t this also give one massive diarrhea? Should you choose to drink mudslides via the back door, then going vs. coming is negotiable. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/52 "2004-07-03T03:47:22Z")
> [@Vlad/Igor](#): > > Yeah, if you infused a large enough volume with a large percentage of alcohol, you’d kill off your intestinal normal flora, and possibly wind up with the trots. Or fauna, depending on how kinky you are. The more pressing question is, where are you going to get a beer helmet with a long enough hose? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/53 "2004-07-03T04:11:44Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Should you choose to drink mudslides via the back door, then going vs. coming is negotiable. 😃 This is the post that finally did it. I can’t get the image of waitresses doing handstands out of my head. "Pink lady in the front, mudslide in the backs. Straws have already been inserted for your convenience.’ Or worse “Mudslide.” “Be right up.” The bartender jumps up and down, and swivels his hips. He then holds a glass under his buttocks and------------- I can’t bring myself to type the rest. BTW- Did anybody get the horrible pun in my Russian post? ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/54 "2004-07-03T04:32:07Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > BTW- Did anybody get the horrible pun in my Russian post? Are you referring to “Drunk off his ass”? Not really a pun, but certainly clever word play. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/55 "2004-07-03T14:50:13Z")
> [@Doug Bowe](#): > > Actually there’s a little history here! > > About 15 years ago “American Heritage” published a paper that the ancient Incas brewed an alcoholic beverage vile enough to make you lose it if you drank it. > So they used the enema method. > > _“Rhinal absorption of intoxicants is widespread [Anadenanthera beans, coca leaves, Virola resin, and many nicotianas] on the subcontinent and represents, apparently, a peculiarly American custom which, together with tobacco, spread to the Old World in post-Columbian times.”_ Is it still an enema if it’s nasal? I was under the impression - could be mistaken, of course - that enemas are solely rectal. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/56 "2004-07-03T17:28:48Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Did anybody get the horrible pun in my Russian post? I got it, but I reread the post at least five times. Took me a while. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/57 "2004-07-03T18:07:26Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > BTW- Did anybody get the horrible pun in my Russian post? I did not. Explain? Damn…and I adore a good mudslide. No, not THAT kind. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/58 "2004-07-03T20:47:41Z")
Yesterday my friends and I were drinking, and my friend sat on a beer can by accident. I joked, “There are easier ways to get drunk.” Then I said, jokingly, “Imagine if it turned out that you could get drunk really easily by pouring it in your ass, and people did it just to get drunk for cheap?” I can’t believe that people actually do this, and that it works. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/59 "2004-07-03T21:10:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I did not. Explain? > > Damn…and I adore a good mudslide. No, not THAT kind. He said his neighbour was “drunk _off his ass_”. Get it? Rectal absorption? Ass? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-alcohol-be-absorbed-rectally/253129/60 "2004-07-03T22:35:29Z")
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