New Varieties of Boilermakers Give Doctors a Bad Headache

Despite seasonal warnings by many doctors and other health authorities not to overdo drinking because of the damage it can do, various kinds of boilermakers － a much-favored mixture of a shot of whiskey in a mug of beer － are being introduced for the holiday season.

The "garbage boilermaker," for example, is a mixture of beer, any kind of liquor available and side dishes, like peanuts.

When having a "firefighting boilermaker," drinkers cover the top of the beer-liquor glass with a napkin and place a coin on it.

Then participants take turns burning the napkin with cigarettes to make a hole. The person who makes the the burn that lets the coin fall into the glass must drink the boilermaker.

In drinking the "straw boilermaker," people use straws in the belief that it speeds the dubious pursuit of getting drunk.

To drink the "bomb boilermaker," people make a hole in a can of beer, put hard liquors through it and drink the mixture after shaking the can well.

These new drinks trouble health authorities.

"I feel kind of sorry that people are enjoying making many sorts of weird drinks to hurt their health," said Kim Kyong-yong, a psychosurgeon. "Overdoing drinking can lower their efficiency at work the next day and result in stress."

A professor of family medicine at Seoul National University said, "Regardless of how people make the boilermakers, they will get drunk quickly and hangovers will last very long. It'll definitely harm their health," he added.

by Chang chung-hoon