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The BBC spoke to one of these street gang soap drinkers, known only as Bartlomiej, who actually on the whole gave off a "drinking soap is a bad idea" vibe, recounting that time his body ruptured and he lost 1.5 liters of blood and nearly died."We lived in various places, always nearby hospitals," he said. "We were squatting, or we just illegally lived in houses or different accommodation. Those were the places we were binge drinking. It's a really simple life."Hospitals the gangs stole from included Charing Cross, King's College, North Middlesex, St. George's, Lambeth, and Hammersmith. "You don't have to steal it because it's widely available," Bartlomiej says. "We've just been walking in with a plastic cup. If it was a manual dispenser we just filled a half of a cup of this spirit gel and we mixed it with water, half-and-half. You don't need to drink a lot of it to get drunk." But before you start legitimately thinking about it, consider death. "I've lost a few of my friends," Bartlomiej said. "The ones who drank Ace cider and hand wash gel."Trending on VICE Sports: 'Have It Your Way, Chi!' Life as A Professional Female Footballer
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I've always thought the central tenet of a successful gang is leadership and organization, which makes me wonder what sort of logistical shitshow a roving soap-drunk street gang might be when they are out on the job. Do they have their own pissed Fagin, aloe vera-scented handwash dribbling from the corners of his mouth, ordering gangs of men to bumrush various hospitals and pump at the handwash dispensers until they have a cup of sterile punch for him to suck on? Or are they rudderless, a box full of drunken kittens emptied onto the floor, scattering to the wind in different directions, knowing only that they want—no: need—soap, guzzled directly from the nozzle like a thirsty child quaffing down squash? We may never know.Anyway: don't drink soap, kids, you will eventually die.Follow Joel on Twitter.Mildly related, on MUNCHIES: Scientists Say The Only Real Way To Prevent a Hangover Is To Drink Less