Parent Alert: Teens Drinking Hand Sanitizer To Get Drunk [OPINION]

Either I'm getting old or kids are actually starting to pay attention in science class.

The latest household item teens are using to get a buzz: hand sanitizer.

According to U.S. News & World Report, six Los Angeles teens were taken to the Emergency Room after trying to get drunk on hand sanitizer.

Kids are using salt to separate the alcohol from the gel, leaving them with 120-proof liquid. Some are even directly ingesting the gel.

Whatever happened to the days of asking an older friend to buy you some beer??

In all seriousness, I truly believe, legal or not, if a kid wants to drink underage, they'll find a way. (Clearly.)

I did it, I'm sure my parents did it, and the majority of my friends did it too. I didn't have to chug hand sanitizer or huff air fresheners to get a buzz either. I went into my parents liquor cabinet like a normal person. And you know what I learned? You drink too much alcohol, you get sick, and you feel like crap the next day.

I know we all joke around about how I'm the "Resident Lush" here, but I'm certainly responsible about my drinking and I'd like to think I always have been, mostly thanks to my parents. They knew they couldn't possibly watch me every second of everyday, so they TAUGHT me things so I'd be okay when I went out into the world.

So yes, you can buy the foam sanitizers or the alcohol-free ones to keep your kids from drinking it. Or you can spend time with your kids, teach them common sense and a sense of responsibility, and stop restricting them into stupidity.

Do you think teens will find a way to get drunk or high no matter what? Share your comments below!