# How much denatured alcohol is safe to drink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038 "2017-06-28T04:40:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mikelopez630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mikelopez630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikelopez630)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/1 "2017-06-28T04:40:34Z")
Hi guys, I’m new to the forum, so if I’m posting this aomewhere I shouldn’t, just please tell me and I’ll change it. Okay, so I am 17, and have a little fetish about myself. I’ll call it… the drunk fetish. I get sexually aroused by intoxicated women, and the intoxication of my own self. I have only been buzzed once in my life, that was 2 years ago, I have had no access to alcohol since. There is no salt in my house to distill anything, and I don’t have any friends (I’m also an introvert) at the moment since I recently relocated to a new area. I just want an intense buzz, enough to make me feel loose and euphoric. Will it be safe drinking denatured alcohol? I have a bottle of Assured Hand Sanitizer, and it says it has Ethyl Alcohol 62% and also has Antiseptic. How much do I have to consume in order to feel loose and happy? I weigh around 216 pounds and I think I’m either 6’0 or 6’1. I know this sounds very retarded, but I can’t help this fetish. It’s something that I like though, it isn’t really destroying me. If it is too dangerous though, then I will not consume any of it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/2 "2017-06-28T04:45:47Z")
None. Just don’t. If you don’t believe me, call 1-800-222-1222, which is the national poison control number. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/3 "2017-06-28T04:47:31Z")
Yeah, that’s a really stupid idea. Alcohol is denatured by various means. If your hand sanitizer contains Methanol, drinking it could cause blindness or death. More likely, though, it’s denatured with a bittering agent, so it will be undrinkable. Get help. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/4 "2017-06-28T04:54:29Z")
I’d be surprised if it was actually denatured, but it’s not possible to say if the bottle you actually have in your hand it safe to drink (and no one on this board is going to give you that advice anyways). Ignoring the age thing, you’re going to be much better off finding a way to get your hands on a real bottle of liquor rather than trying to figure out how much of the stuff with the poison in it you can drink without getting sick, going blind, dying etc. I’m all for to each his own, live and let live, do all the drugs you want etc etc etc, but if you have a fetish for drinking hand sanitizer, you should find someone to talk to. Even if you can find some support on the internet somewhere. A fetish for drinking hand sanitizer at 17 years old has the potential for taking you somewhere dark, fast. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/5 "2017-06-28T05:16:08Z")
> [@How much denatured alcohol is safe to drink?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790040/1): > > I know this sounds very retarded, but I can’t help this fetish. It’s something that I like though, it isn’t really destroying me. If it is too dangerous though, then I will not consume any of it. Beyond very. I suggest seeking help, perhaps AA or something? Denatured alcohol contains ethanol, it is poison You do NOT drink it See [here, this has been answered before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=664623) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/6 "2017-06-28T05:26:26Z")
**Moderator Note** Duplicate threads merged. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2017, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/7 "2017-06-28T05:39:37Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Beyond very. > > I suggest seeking help, perhaps AA or something? > > Denatured alcohol contains ethanol, it is poison > You do NOT drink it > > See [here, this has been answered before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=664623) I suspect you mean “methanol.” Ethanol is garden variety alcohol that gets us drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/8 "2017-06-28T06:57:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I suspect you mean “methanol.” Ethanol is garden variety alcohol that gets us drunk. :smack: yes. Or what ever other nasties they pop in it to make it undrinkable which from google appear to be things like isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, and denatonium. Not yummy ---
**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:** [June 28, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/9 "2017-06-28T11:49:34Z")
On the offchance that this is an actual serious post: sorry to burst your bubble. Intoxicated women are not sexy. They are incoherent, demanding, difficult, and liable to puke on you. And then they forget that it was you holding their hair back while they vomited at 2 am. Your fantasy ideal is severely divorced from reality. I assume you are in the US, where alcohol laws are stupid. In most countries a 17 year old would have had access to alcohol at home and would have had parents explain what to expect, how to behave etc. Certainly by now you would have learnt that drunkeness is not _that_ much fun, and full intoxication is not fun at all. If you are determined to get drunk, it is very easy to brew your own low alcohol using yeast and fruit. The Internet will assist with recipes. (Do not attempt to distill this though; you may end up with a dangerous methanol level and die/go blind) That said: of all the drugs I have tried, I think alcohol is one of the least pleasant. Sure, you get a buzz. But you also get a hangover. Alcohol hangovers last all day and you feel like shit all day. And it is very easy to become psychologically addicted, which is not fun: imagine waking up every single day feeling like shit and knowing the only thing that can help is the very thong that will make you feel like shit tomorrow. I suggest you try find a slightly less destructive fetish ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/10 "2017-06-28T12:36:15Z")
Just in case you feel like we are all being spoilsports here and are trying to ruin your fun, just know that we were all your age too (not to demean you, its great being 17) and thought we knew it all and nothing bad could happen. The advice everyone is giving you is completely correct. Not a psychologist but I have personal experience (family and friends too) with drugs and alcohol and if you are willing to try to distill something for alcohol, you may be on the cusp for a model of drug seeking behavior and should avoid drugs and alcohol altogether. Also, whether or not you imbibe, **Scudsucker** is correct. Drunk women are something best to be avoided, it will lead you into anything from a terrible night, to terrible trouble. If you must do a drug or get a “high” I won’t suggest it, but I will say Pot is the much safer choice if you can find it. If you drank hand sanitizer or anything, distilled or not, if you screw up and leave “impurities” in it, it can and likely will kill you. If you are determined, nothing will stop you, but just try to heed to warning. Sorry man, Be safe **mikelopez630**. If you don’t already, pick up videogaming again, and believe me, its much better, more fun, safe and your wallet will be fatter (just buy used games). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/11 "2017-06-28T12:44:38Z")
I don’t know how it works in the USA, but over here, having sex with someone who is too drunk to consent is rape. When they wake up in the morning and call the cops, you will, at the very least, have a hard time explaining. I should add that sex is a lot more fun if the other person is cooperating enthusiastically. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/12 "2017-06-28T13:29:44Z")
Welcome to the SDMB … don’t drink hand sanitizer The tale I heard was that chemistry labs were constantly running out of **reagent-grade ethanol** and the hired technicians were coming in after lunch on the drunken side … hahaha … to solve both problems, the lab added a little bit of poison to the ethanol so it’ll make one puke and now we have **denatured ethanol** … “How much do I have to consume in order to feel loose and happy?” One drink is all … a 12 oz beer, glass of wine, shot of whiskey … that’ll get you where you want to go and generally you’ll stay there even after you sober up … getting wasted with a sex fetish is a good way to find yourself on the wrong end of a Child Support Court Order … or worse … ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/13 "2017-06-28T13:38:01Z")
There is [this](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2582/can-you-get-drunk-on-listerine-how-about-vanilla-extract). ---
**Author:** ![mikelopez630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mikelopez630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikelopez630)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/14 "2017-06-28T19:40:43Z")
I am very determined, but if it’s really that harmful, then I won’t do it. Does distilling Hand Sanitizer work though? You know, with the salt and everything? Or is that harmful too? This fetish of mine is just like any other fetish. Fetishes are just obsessions over things that derive sexual pleasure to oneself. They’re all irrational or abnormal to some extent. I only drank once in my life and that was in April of 2015, therefore I’m not an alcoholic. So please stop bashing my fetish, if I need help, then everybody needs help. ---
**Author:** ![Navigator66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/43a26b/32.png) [@Navigator66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Navigator66)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/15 "2017-06-28T20:08:19Z")
Well, if your very determined to get drunk, why don’t you do what teenagers have done for generations. Hang out close by your local liquor store and ask someone of legal age to by for you. That being said, this post has the ring of a troll. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/16 "2017-06-28T20:13:25Z")
> [@mikelopez630](#): > > I am very determined, but if it’s really that harmful, then I won’t do it. Does distilling Hand Sanitizer work though? You know, with the salt and everything? Or is that harmful too?. Do you know what distillation is? Here’s a hint, salt has nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/17 "2017-06-28T20:25:11Z")
> [@mikelopez630](#): > > I am very determined, but if it’s really that harmful, then I won’t do it. Does distilling Hand Sanitizer work though? You know, with the salt and everything? Or is that harmful too? > > This fetish of mine is just like any other fetish. Fetishes are just obsessions over things that derive sexual pleasure to oneself. They’re all irrational or abnormal to some extent. I only drank once in my life and that was in April of 2015, therefore I’m not an alcoholic. So please stop bashing my fetish, if I need help, then everybody needs help. Listen 1. You do not distill hand sanitizer, least not unless you are a chemist or something I do not care what you read on Quora, salt is not going to bind to and take out methyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, and denatonium. So you still got nothing but a cup of harmful poison that unless your some chemistry wiz i doubt you can safely separate no matter what some kid posts on youtube. 2. You dont have to EVER drink to be an alcoholic, it’s just the way some people are born. I’m no expert but you sure display some bright flashing warning signs to me. Might want to talk to and LISTEN to some of the people here that know about it. 3. Your fetish, unless you are describing it poorly, sounds a hell of a lot like date rape, which is uncool and that’s putting it terribly nicely. One does not get some poor girl bombed out on poison and then have their way with her. Im sure our legal guys could list you probably half a dozen charges that could come from that. If this is not some kind of joke you need help Collecting guitars or wanting to paint your girl friends toe nails, or hell wanting to wear womens clothes and night wear, those are harmless fetishes, this is not. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/18 "2017-06-28T20:33:57Z")
I’m 75% sure this is a troll, but just in case it’s not, I’ll add this. [Denaturing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol) is a process where alcohol is deliberately rendered poisonous. The whole purpose of denaturing alcohol is to ensure that no one drinks it. It’s POISONOUS. Don’t drink it. You can’t make it drinkable by distilling it, even if you knew what distillation was, which does not appear to be the case. As the wikipedia article says, “there is no practical way to separate the components” of denatured alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/19 "2017-06-28T20:40:25Z")
Follow this path and there is surely a Darwin award to be won. > **[Darwin Awards: Evolution In Action](https://darwinawards.com/)** > > Darwin Awards: Vote for the Award Nominees! The Darwin Awards commemorate the (remains of) individuals who contribute to the improvement of our gene pool by removing themselves from it. Enter this portal for stories from the Darwin Awards. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038/20 "2017-06-28T21:24:07Z")
> [@mikelopez630](#): > > I am very determined, but if it’s really that harmful, then I won’t do it. Does distilling Hand Sanitizer work though? You know, with the salt and everything? Or is that harmful too? > > This fetish of mine is just like any other fetish. Fetishes are just obsessions over things that derive sexual pleasure to oneself. They’re all irrational or abnormal to some extent. I only drank once in my life and that was in April of 2015, therefore I’m not an alcoholic. So please stop bashing my fetish, if I need help, then everybody needs help. The **factual answer** to your **general question** is “none” … denatured alcohol is always _un_safe to drink and it can never be made to be safe … if you can find someone to buy the distilling equipment for you, why not just get them to buy you the booze to begin with … I’m assuming your parents won’t be helpful to you and teach you the ins-and-outs of drinking … maybe an older brother or cousin will set you up and watch over you so you don’t, like, kill yourself … as a fairly serious drinker myself, my advice is to wait until you’re older, more mature, maybe not take up the dirty habit at all … at 6’1" and 216#, you should take up athletics, get yourself into shape, play some football or basketball … enjoy your health now before you wreak it with booze or drugs … I might be weird, but vomiting through sex isn’t very exciting to me … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-denatured-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink/790038.md?page=2)