drinking alcohol

[gerikel]

can you safely drink rubbing alcohol to get a buzz?

[jacksen9]

I can't.

[x-ray vision]

No! It's poisonous, and you won't get a buzz.

[Desmostylus]

Rubbing alcohol is usually 70% isopropyl alcohol.

It's about twice as potent as the same concentration as ethyl alcohol, and takes 2 to 4 times longer to be eliminated from the body.

It causes more serious problems for the liver than ethyl alcohol, because it gets metabolised into acetone (i.e. nail polish remover).

It's less safe to drink than ethyl alcohol.

[Desmostylus]

I left out the cite for the above.

http://www.emergencytoronto.com/clerks%20manual/38%20%20Alcohol%20Related%20Illnesses.pdf (warning, .PDF)

[gypsymoth3]

huh, i knew a guy (a drunk) who tried that once. i can't remember what exactly happened to him because i was 8 or younger then.

[radar ralf]

I can't even begin to list all the crazy things people drink up here in the boonies, in the attempt to get a "buzz." In addition to all kinds of alcohol, including isopropyl and denatured, we get some strange ones: vanilla extract, liquified stick deoderant, after shave lotion, hair dressings, cough syrup... the list is long and lethal. The most bizarre is radiator coolant / anti-freeze - there is apparently some "secret process" that is supposed to make the stuff potable. Three words come to mind concerning all these substances: DON'T DO IT!

[pkbites]

Originally posted by x-ray vision
you won't get a buzz.

I don't think this is correct.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol will cause a mood-altering effect. I'm told it's not dissimilar to a nasty drunk with cheap ethanol which contains lots of contaminants (congeners). But as it has already been noted, it's very hard on the system, and many drinkers end up with permanently damaged livers, or even end up dead. So don't even think about it.

[YourOldBuddy]

OT:
I drank perfume the other day for a cheap laugh. It worked but It wasnt really funny. Inhaling perfume for a long time isnt comfortable. Wouldnt recommend it.

[x-ray vision]

I don't think this is correct.

It is correct. Only ethanol will get you drunk.

[pkbites]

Originally posted by x-ray vision
It is correct. Only ethanol will get you drunk.


You didn't say drunk. You said "buzz". Buzz is quite a generic term, isn't it?

I've dealt with some people who drank the shit. They acted strangely, almost like they were in the first stages of entering a mild diabetic coma.

[Elemenopy]

radar ralf, the drinking of vanilla extract isn't as strange as it sounds, although it would probably be a very pungent thing to drink straight. It is mostly ethyl alcohol. I've made my own vanilla extract, in cute bottles for gift giving, with a cup of vodka and a few vanilla beans. :)

Perfume? :eek:

[Blown & Injected]

On the subject:
What is SD40 alcohol used in mouthwash?

[effac3d]

Originally posted by radar ralf
I can't even begin to list all the crazy things people drink up here in the boonies, in the attempt to get a "buzz." In addition to all kinds of alcohol, including isopropyl and denatured, we get some strange ones: vanilla extract, liquified stick deoderant, after shave lotion, hair dressings, cough syrup...

As long as the cough syrup doesn't contain decongestants or acetaminophen it shouldn't case any damage(ultra high doses over time have caused brain lesions in animals!),and yes you will get a buzz.

[parlo americano]

I know this requires planning ahead but isn't there a way to make juice (apple, grape, etc.) into wine or cider?
What about moonshine? how's that made?
Are either of the above safe to drink?

[Blake]

You can make alcohol esily enough out of almost anyhting with sugar in it, including fruit juices. It's not hard, but it's a bit complicated to explain on a message board. If it's allowe dein your area then any brewing supplier will be able to provide you with the instructions and materials needed to make your own wine, cider etc. It's easy, safe, cheap and usually tastes horrible but it will get you drunk.

Moonshine is a distilled spirit. It's not really safe to drink unless the distiller is very expereinced and very trustworthy. The trouble is that the distillation process can concentrate wood alcohol in the blend. Wood alcohol has caused more than a few cases of blindness thorughpout the world. Not really worth it.

[Tarantula]

I'd say, "Yes". If you consider death "A Buzz".

[kuraijo]

why would anyone try stuff like this just for a buzz? crazy...

yes, you can turn juices into alcoholic stuff. the process is something called fermentation. you need the damn bacteria though. or you could jsut squeeze over-ripe fruits - those have a little alcohol in them.

[Audrey Levins]

I've heard tales of people drinking rubbing alcohol and getting away with it, but the stories usually centered around people who were such alcoholics that they were basically already pickled. (IOW, if a normal person tried it, it'd kill 'em.)

Honestly, Nyquil gives me such a quick, potent buzz that I rarely take it, even when I have a cold; it's such a nice fuzzy feeling I'm afraid of it. :D (I blame the antihistamines + the alcohol, cuz the liqui-gels don't have the same effect.)

FTR, I wouldn't try the ol' rubbing alcohol. Good God.

[Desmostylus]

Originally posted by Blown & Injected
On the subject:
What is SD40 alcohol used in mouthwash? Denatured ethyl alcohol. That is, ethyl alcohol which has had stuff added to it to:

a) make it tate bad
b) possibly make it poisonous if swallowed.

x-ray vision: Get over it. Isopropyl alcohol is an intoxicant.

[AWB]

Originally posted by kuraijo
yes, you can turn juices into alcoholic stuff. the process is something called fermentation. you need the damn bacteria though. or you could jsut squeeze over-ripe fruits - those have a little alcohol in them.

You can use baker's yeast to make any sugar solution into alcohol. With the right set-up (my college prof showed our class once), you can make a very cheap, 15% alcohol "wine". I tried it once, and it was drinkable. But also tasted like it had had bread soaking in it. 8-)

[Grey]

As Blake said, making cider, wine or beer in relatively easy and can be done with the right equipment and yeast picked up at a local or internet brewing store. Bread yeast, strangely enough, is for making bread. Yes it ferments but not the way you'll really enjoy. Or not. Let’s face it; we've got people drinking perfume here.

[radar ralf]

Would it be improper to post the recipe for my "Balloon Wine" here? Probably, due to the presence of under-age members. But if other recipes are available on the 'net and the moderators don't object, I can give y'all a recipe for an easily made, tasty, kick-axe potable.

[Celyn]

Lt me jsut second the bit about not using baker's yeast - really 'tis better to get yeast bred for the purpose, so to speak. I mean, you want to drink the end product, so it is worth an *tiny" amount more pennies to use the right stuff to get a better finished product. Plus if you 8can* visit a homebew store, you shoudl be able to benefit form the shopkeeper's experience and advice.

[Yorikke]

Originally posted by Celyn
Lt me jsut second the bit about not using baker's yeast - really 'tis better to get yeast bred for the purpose, so to speak. I mean, you want to drink the end product, so it is worth an *tiny" amount more pennies to use the right stuff to get a better finished product. Plus if you 8can* visit a homebew store, you shoudl be able to benefit form the shopkeeper's experience and advice.

Clearly a man who's just sampled the goods...;)

hrh

[radar ralf]

yeah, what Celyn said...

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Originally posted by x-ray vision
Only ethanol will get you drunk.
I must disagree. Methanol, Isopropyl alcohol, and other varieties of shorter chain alcohols do indeed intoxicate. The downside is that either their structure itself or their metabolic breakdown products are also much more toxic than ethanol. But the other alcohols cited above also mess with the GABA system, just like our old pal EtOH.

QtM, MD

[Nametag]

SDA 40 is "Specially Denatured Alcohol, Formula 40." Denatured alcohols contain ingredients that either taste bad, smell, bad, cause vomiting, or are just plain poisonous. SDA 40 may be prepared with a variety of denaturants, all of which have been chosen for suitability in mouthwash. The most prominent is butyl alcohol plus brucine sulfate. SDA 40A, which is more common in mouthwash than SDA 40, uses butyl alcohol plus sucrose octaacetate. There are SDA formulas for laboratory use, for perfume, for cleaning, for ink, and there's even a formula for ethyl rubbing alcohol. There are also "Completely Denatured Alcohols" (CD-1, etc.) that are denatured with materials so nasty and so unremovable that they aren't even controlled by BATF (iodine tincture, cooking fuel, etc.)

[Nametag]

And yes, isopropanol can definitely give you a buzz. Hell, if you're working over an open tank of it in a poorly ventilated area, just breathing will rock your world. Trust me on this one.

[Eleusis]

Rubbing alcohol is not always isopropyl alchohol.

It's often "denatured" ethanol which usually consists of something like 90% ethanol, 5% water, and 5% methanol which is well known for causing blindness among other things.

[Blown & Injected]

Thanks Desmostylus, Nametag. I often wondered about it because it seems like they would not make it poisonous if it is to be used in ones mouth, but then I have never heard of kids drinking the stuff.

[parlo americano]

Originally posted by AWB
I tried it once, and it was drinkable. But also tasted like it had had bread soaking in it. 8-)

If someone's going to be desperate enough to drink rubbing alcohol then I hope he wouldn't be too picky about a safer(?) bread tasting beverage.

Didn't Dukakis' wife try that and it he dropped out of the pres. race?

[pkbites]

Originally posted by radar ralf
Would it be improper to post the recipe for my "Balloon Wine" here?

It would not be improper to email me the recipe.;)

[Lemur866]

Also remember that brewing beer, wine, cider or mead is legal in almost all jurisdictions in the United States and many other countries as well. It is typically pretty safe, the worst that will happen is that you end up with foul tasting alcoholic crap, or vinegar, or maybe a burst carboy and a big mess.

However, home distilling is illegal everywhere in the US, and in most other countries. Distilling can also be pretty dangerous if you don't know what you're doing...your still can explode on you, or you could end up with methanol or some other toxic chemicals. So please don't do it. It is also illegal to jack cider by freezing it, although this is comparatively much safer. So please don't do it.

You can easily get books on home brewing from your local library. It is inexpensive, safe, easy, and legal if you are over 21. You can make an alcoholic brew from any sort of plant material that contains sugar. Malted barley, apple juice, grape juice, any kind of juice, honey, dried fruit, whole fruit, grain, milk (yes, milk), bread, root vegetables, pea pods, dandelions, table sugar, etc. And you can use any sort of yeast...wild yeast floating around your house, human skin yeast, bread yeast, etc. But you might as well drink something that doesn't taste like crap. Life is too short. So obtain a strain of yeast appropriate to your mash (ie wine yeast for juice, beer yeast for beer, etc), and pick something that isn't foul to ferment. Fruit juice is easy, and the end product might even taste good.

[AskNott]

Perfume is like flattery. It may be inhaled, but should never be swallowed.

[AWB]

Originally posted by parlo americano
If someone's going to be desperate enough to drink rubbing alcohol then I hope he wouldn't be too picky about a safer(?) bread tasting beverage.

Didn't Dukakis' wife try that and it he dropped out of the pres. race?

Dukakis stayed in the race to the bitter end.

"Vote Bush. He's taller."