# How is vanilla extract NOT an alcoholic beverage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457 "2022-01-08T21:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/61 "2022-01-10T23:44:49Z")
So was she on a first-name basis with the poison control center? I had a friend in college with, I think, five brothers who all regularly got injured and they were well-known at the local emergency department. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/62 "2022-01-10T23:45:55Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > and the third one had spilled some table salt on the floor and was licking it up. Guess which was the only one they said she really needed to be concerned about? You guessed it, the table salt. Sure. And a kid’s a lot smaller. But that’s weird that a kid would be drawn to eating straight salt. Strange. Like I said, I don’t recommend doing it, but it’s not that difficult to get a cup down, especially when you cut it with water or drink water alongside it, as I did. No more salt than a footlong at Subway, just get that water into ya. (ETA: And, actually, it looks like I may be off. Cooking wine is about 1400 mg per 8 oz for the nutritional information I could find.) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/63 "2022-01-10T23:47:18Z")
Probably not, because she said they were “better safe than sorry” calls. It was in a thread where I had mentioned that Poison Control actually gets more calls from people asking about their pets than they do about other people. Anecdote: With one exception, every case of lead poisoning I was involved in treating was in a dog. Apparently dogs really like the taste of lead paint, which they would lick up while their hoomins were renovating an older house. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/64 "2022-01-11T00:01:10Z")
I bought some pomegranate liquor recently. I bought a tiny bottle, about the size of a bottle of vanilla extract. I was surprised that the liquor store didn’t card me. Now, granted, my hair is gray and no one would mistake me for being under 21… But it’s the first time I’ve bought booze, intended to be consumed as booze, in years without being carded. (I suppose i buy a pint of vanilla extract from time to time, mail order. But that’s intended to be used a teaspoon at a time.) ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/65 "2022-01-11T05:23:25Z")
My sister worked in a pharmacy 40 years ago. The rubbing alcohol was kept under the counter, and she was told to use her judgment and if she had any suspicion that someone asking for it was a rubby, to tell them it was out of stock. This happened a lot ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/66 "2022-01-11T14:22:55Z")
I’ve been in areas of Canada where most of these products - mouthwash especially - are either under the counter, locked in a glass cabinet like expensive electronics, or the cashiers are expected to exercise discretion. This included certain solvents in the hardware stores. People with problems could get desperate, and the liquor stores often bar them. And you have to wonder about the sincerity of a grocery store that says this is their policy but sell large bottles of vanilla extract and have a decent amount on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/67 "2022-01-11T14:43:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But that’s weird that a kid would be drawn to eating straight salt. Yeah. My daughter has pica. One of the things she compulsively eats is straight table salt. We have to hide the salt shakers. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/68 "2022-01-11T15:02:29Z")
Ah. I hadn’t considered pica. I usually think of dirt, clay, paint chips, paper, etc. with pica. But that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/69 "2022-01-11T15:02:59Z")
> [@slalexan](#): > > One of the things she compulsively eats is straight table salt. When I was a kid and my grandparents were making homemade ice cream, I would grab a handful of rock salt and suck on the crystals. I did at least check the label on the bag and make sure it was plain salt and had no other chemicals in it. Confession: I will still do this. That salt shaker sitting by my computer? Uh… that’s for use when I happen to eat and surf the internet at the same time! Yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/70 "2022-01-11T15:53:25Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > I’ve been in areas of Canada where most of these products - mouthwash especially - are either under the counter, locked in a glass cabinet Often the colder the climate the worse the problems are. Scandinavian countries are particularly strict with control of access to alcoholic drinks, I wonder if they have similar issues with alcohol containing products. A rule I learnt from a scot: never try to out-drink anyone who comes from a colder climate than you. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/71 "2022-01-11T16:32:50Z")
:: Laughs in Wisconsin :: ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/72 "2022-01-11T17:00:46Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > A rule I learnt from a scot: never try to out-drink anyone who comes from a colder climate than you. Lots of places prohibit package sales or taverns but I was surprised when I learned that some places in Alaska have criminalized possession of alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/73 "2022-01-11T17:06:01Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > :: Laughs in Wisconsin :: What the average person drinks here would kill most people outside of Russia. Except that weightlifter dude that posted a bit ago. If he was telling the truth. And IF he’s still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/74 "2022-01-11T17:18:36Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > My sister worked in a pharmacy 40 years ago. The rubbing alcohol was kept under the counter, and she was told to use her judgment and if she had any suspicion that someone asking for it was a rubby, to tell them it was out of stock. This happened a lot There was a book about hardware stores, “Did monkeys invent the monkey wrench?” where the author, who worked in his father’s hardware store, describes derelicts coming in to buy Solox (shellac thinner) to get drunk on. His father was unusually honest and refused to pretend that they were out of it. Instead, if the person didn’t look like a painter, he just said “We don’t have any for you.” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/75 "2022-01-11T17:21:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve read a lot of drugs like sleeping pills have irritants added. A large overdose (suicide) would get thrown up. Not in my experience. All I got out of a whole bunch of sleeping pills was _really_ wanting to lie down the next day. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/76 "2022-01-11T17:29:07Z")
It is possible, in various pharmacies in South Africa, to purchase 2 litres of 90% pure ethyl-alcohol, without them needing a license to supply, nor myself being asked for ID. Just a normal OTC transaction. I was using it to make CBD oil, at the time, but never drank it, even though I am fond of a drink. I assume that the reason for that is that here, cheap wine is abundant, and no one really thinks to go to a pharmacy to purchase their poison. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/77 "2022-01-11T17:31:33Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Often the colder the climate the worse the problems are. An uncle of mine worked on the Alaskan Pipeline while it was being built. He said there was nothing to do up there other than drugs, drinking and gambling. He made it sound like a lot of people didn’t make it back home sober and with their finances in tact. However, I’m not sure how much of that is due to the cold vs living in remote boomtowns. The brother of a college friend of mine spent some time up there in the 90’s and relayed pretty much the same experience. However, something interesting that he mentioned was that he attributed a lot, or at least some, of the alcoholism to the long or short days. Apparently when you can walk out of a bar and not be able to tell if it’s 2am or 2pm\*, it makes it really to spend a lot of your time drinking. When my friend was visiting him, they walked out of a bar and she asked why there was a school bus out on the road at bar time. Turns out it wasn’t bar time, it was 3 in the afternoon, but that constant state of dusk messed with her internal clock. > [@pkbites](#): > > What the average person drinks here would kill most people outside of Russia. Back in college, when people would have out-of-state friends coming up to visit, they’d always be surprised to see everyone have two or three beers in preparation for heading out to the bars. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/78 "2022-01-11T17:39:55Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Often the colder the climate the worse the problems are. Scandinavian countries are particularly strict with control of access to alcoholic drinks [So’s Alaska.](https://iseralaska.org/static/legacy_publication_links/formal/arsecs/arsec31map.pdf) (PDF) > [@Joey\_P](#): > > An uncle of mine worked on the Alaskan Pipeline while it was being built. He said there was nothing to do up there other than drugs, drinking and gambling. He made it sound like a lot of people didn’t make it back home sober and with their finances in tact. However, I’m not sure how much of that is due to the cold vs living in remote boomtowns. [A lot of those remote towns went dry in '86.](https://www.csmonitor.com/1986/0409/adrunk.html) ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/79 "2022-01-11T17:57:51Z")
Nice. More practical for male store owner than lone wage-slave woman at counter, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457/80 "2022-01-11T22:14:16Z")
I had a co-worker who was practicing a halal diet and asked to be informed if any baked goods that people brought in to share had used flavor extracts since he viewed that as forbidden. Many (most?) people who follow this diet [don’t feel that as necessary](https://halalguidance.com/is-vanilla-extract-halal/) particularly since any alcohol in a baked cookie has long since evaporated in the cooking process, but we did our best to accommodate him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-vanilla-extract-not-an-alcoholic-beverage/957457.md?page=5)