What happens to your insides if you drink rubbing alcohol?

Answer 1

rubbing alcohol is not the same as any regular "grain" alcohol. rubbing alcohol is also known as "wood" alcohol and drinking it is a BAD IDEA. the isopropanol which is thus consumed will break down into acetone and cause severe stomach pain. eventually the poison may cause blindness and death. basically drinking rubbing alcohol is drinking poison.

Actually "wood" alcohol is methyl alcohol (methanol), not isopropyl alcohol or propyl alcohol. Alcohols are modified hydrocarbons with one hydrogen (H) replaced with a hydroxyl group (OH):

1. methyl alcohol, methanol - hydrocarbon methane; 1 carbon atom (wood alcohol)
2. ethyl alcohol, ethanol - hydrocarbon ethane; 2 carbon atoms (grain alcohol)
3. propyl alcohol, propanol - hydrocarbon propane; isopropyl alcohol, isopropanol - hydrocarbon isopropane; 3 carbon atoms (rubbing alcohol)
4. butyl alcohol, butanol - hydrocarbon butane; isobutyl alcohol, isobutanol - hydrocarbon isobutane; etc.; 4 carbon atoms
5. etc.

The toxicity of the different alcohols varies, but only ethyl alcohol can really be considered safe to consume.

Answer 2

Isopropyl alcohol is highly toxic in its own right. It is also metabolized by the human liver into acetone (lacquer thinner). The dangers are headache, dizziness, CNS depression, nausea, vomiting, anesthesia, coma and death.

We trust that we have made this issue sufficiently clear.