“Let’s drink!” A common phrase used among people when alcohol is around and waiting to be consumed, but new technology has created an alternative to “drinking.”

AWOL, Alcohol With Out Liquid, is a machine that turns a shot of alcohol into a vapor. It retails for $300 and can be found at AWOLmachine.com, and it takes about 20 minutes to process one shot.

AWOL has been in the U.S. for a little more than a year, but according to police, it has already been banned in eight states.

At the March 21 DeKalb Liquor Commission meeting, City Attorney Norma Guess and DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen suggested the liquor commission consider the banning of the AWOL device.

Guess also recommended the change of city ordinances to include consuming alcohol in a gaseous form.

There has not been adequate research to show that inhaling alcohol is safe, said Kris Povlsen, second ward alderman of DeKalb, who has been supporting legislation to ban AWOL in Illinois for the past year.

“AWOL has not been FDA approved,” Povlsen said.

Povlsen posed a question about a hypothetical situation, when a person inhales too much alcohol. What will the body do to get rid of what it cannot handle?

“Everybody has been to the point where they’ve drank too much,” he said. “But what happens when there isn’t anything in your stomach to throw up?”

According to Steve Lux, NIU Health Educator, about 85 percent of alcohol is ingested through the small intestines.

But safety is not the only reason why some people might find AWOL unattractive.

“This would be like sitting down at dinner and eating only vitamins instead of having a meal,” Lux said.

AWOL takes away from the aesthetic value of drinking, he said.

Beyond that, the claims Spirit Partners, Inc. makes about AWOL having less calories and carbohydrates are not entirely true, Lux said.

“Most liquors like vodka and gin don’t have carbs to begin with,” he said.

Lux also said the AWOL machine could still give people hangovers.

“There are many theories as to what causes hangovers,” Lux said. “I don’t believe this eliminates them.”

But banning the use of AWOL might not be the right solution.

“There’s no replacing solid education,” Lux said. “If people follow our guidelines to safe drinking, the way it’s ingested doesn’t matter.”