Perth teens using common baking ingredient to get drunk
Perth teens are buying vanilla extract in bulk from supermarkets — and it's not for baking.
They're drinking it to get drunk due to its high alcohol content.
The alarming admission came about when GP Andrew Leech was talking to a 16-year-old patient, who nonchalantly divulged: 'heaps of teens do it'.
Dr Leech was dumbfounded.
'I was shocked because I never knew it contained alcohol,' he said.
An online search revealed a common brand of vanilla extract clearly stated on its label: 'Organic Alcohol 35 per cent by vol. (volume)'.
Dr Leech, who runs the Garden Family Medical Clinic, said his patient's mother worked out what was going on after the vanilla extract kept disappearing from the family pantry.
'These social things that teens get up to I hear first hand in general practice, and I get very concerned about what's trending,' he said.
'Under-18 teenagers will do what they can to access alcohol, even if it means using fake IDs or getting their mates who are 18 to buy (alcohol) for them.'
But vanilla extract was a new one, even for Dr Leech.
The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code stipulates any food or beverage containing more than 1.15 per cent alcohol by volume must be labelled as such.
Not only does vanilla extract contain alcohol, it has a higher alcohol content than other, more commonly abused supermarket items, like mouthwash which can have an alcohol content of between 20 and 27 per cent.
Dr Leech said he was shocked to learn such an accessible, everyday item was being so easily abused — and that young people buying a large number of bottles at the supermarket didn't seem to be raising any red flags.
'It's highly risky behaviour because it's very concentrated alcohol, it's unregulated in a way, and they're drinking it without any other people being aware of it,' he said.
'I would be very concerned if they are using that, because it is dangerous for your health and mental health.'
It's the latest in a list of legal, everyday products that are prone to misuse, often with little regulatory oversight.
Mouthwash, hand sanitiser, cologne, cough syrup, and now vanilla extract, all have some level of alcohol in them.
Dr Leech is advising parents to not only keep an eye on their pantries, but also have an open conversation with their kids about underage drinking.
While there was a substantial drop in teens aged 14-17 consuming alcohol between 2001 and 2016, underage drinking has remained static since then.
About one in three teens aged 14-17 admitted consuming alcohol in the past 12 months, according to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022-2023.
'Teenagers do silly things, they're going to take these sorts of risks,' Dr Leech said.
'It's about having those open conversations with your young person, and tell us (medical professionals) if you need help navigating this.'
National Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline 1800 250 015
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