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Teens are actually boiling used tampons to get high
8 February 2019, 17:31
Did you throw up in your mouth a little, or was it just us?!
Everyone knows periods are totally normal. The new period emoji put menstruation back on the map, encouraging everyone to start speaking about them a little more. However, there's a disturbing new trend emerging – and we probably wouldn't advise trying this one at home. EVER. People are literally boiling used tampons to get high now.
Sadly, this isn't a sick joke. According to Straits Times, police in Indonesia have arrested multiple teens for using sanitary products to get high.
Even worse – and try not to spew up – most of the time, the sanitary products are found in the trash, meaning someone else's blood is already on them. Why, why, why…
The teens that were found managed to get high by soaking them in boiling water, waiting for the liquid to cool and then drinking it. And, according to a tampon-water drinker, the mixture has a "bitter" taste.
It's not the blood that gets you high, it's the gel inside the pads and tampons, which is kind of worrying considering they go inside your body. Senior Commander Suprinarto, head of the Central Java chapter of the National Narcotics Agency, said it was the chlorine in the mixture that created a feeling of "flying" and hallucinations just like the feeling you get when taking certain drugs.
But why the hell would you want to drink this vile concoction?! Well, it all started back in 2016 when groups of teens were found drinking the intoxicating mix. Indonesia's drug laws are extremely strict, with many offences carrying the death penalty, so because this is actually legal it's much safer for them. It's also much cheaper than buying traditional drugs.
"The materials they're using are legal, but they're not being used in a way that's intended, so it ends up being used like a drug," he told the publication.
Jokes and vomiting aside, it's actually extremely dangerous. We don't know the effects that drinking boiled tampons has on the body, but we have a feeling it's not great. We also already know that drinking someone else's blood is incredibly dangerous and can leave you susceptible to a host of bloodborne diseases, including HIV and Hepatitis.