The Trend: Drinking with Electrical Stimulation
Lately amidst the isolation and lack of entertainment there has been an increase of creativity in the homes of those amidst this pandemic. The most surprising and recent has been the TENS drinking game, which makes drinking a single beer significantly more difficult.
There are multiple ways I've seen this done, mainly it varies between the TENS Unit being on the forearms, like this one, and it being on the face (both of which is highly discouraged).
Electrical stimulation should only be used on the face under medical supervision to avoid facial nerve damage and should never be used around liquids or while under the influence, as there is risk of permanent damage.
What are the risks?
- A TENS Unit should never be used around any source of liquid, because as we know, water and electricity do not mix. This could result in strong electric shocks, and even death.
- An important precaution that could be easily forgotten when intoxicated is the risk of using any electrical stimulation on or around open wounds or damaged skin.
- Drinking alcohol makes the body less sensitive to pain, therefore the body won't be able to let the user know if the machine is in an area it shouldn't be, increasing the chance of injury.
- Without proper cognition of the unit, and the impaired thought function that occurs when consuming alcohol, there is a risk that the user will place the TENS Unit on any of the body's "danger zones" such as the head, heart, eyes, genitals, and throat. This could result in permanent nerve and/or heart problems, and is especially dangerous for those who have a pacemaker.
So while this may sound intriguing, Massage Therapy Concepts and many experienced health professionals highly disapprove of the use of TENS or any E-Stim machines while drinking.
Aside from the dangers of an e-stim unit when paired with alcohol, there are actually many benefits when utilized for it's purpose, non-intrusive pain relief. Pictured below you is our TENS Unit, with over 30,000 purchased, over 1,000 reviews on Amazon and 500+ reviews on our website (massagetherapyconcepts.com). It works by sending out electrical waves that block the pain receptors in your brain, making it ideal for those suffering from any kind of chronic back, neck, and muscle pain.
Happy Healing!