Alchohol

I assume your character isn't Scottish?

It depends on their sex, age, build, tolerance. I used to have an INSANE tolerance for alcohol and could likely have drunk anyone on AW under the table but now? Half a glass of wine and I'm anybody's. (Shut up.)

Even in my worst liver-abusing days, a concoction like that would have had me spilling my guts all over the bathroom, if I made it that far. One problem: that would be difficult to choke down.

I don't know what Everclear is; it's not sold over here, or if it is, I've never heard of it.

A pint of something with vodka in it, though? You'd need a strong stomach. And in all seriousness, a death wish.

I recall (and google to verify) that Everclear is 190 proof (95 percent alcohol, or as strong as it can reasonably be produced - it's really hard to make near-100-percent alcohol - at such high purity it quickly absorbs water from the air). Wikipedia says Vodka is 80 proof, (40 percent), so what you've got is 135 proof or 67 percent alcohol.

An eight ounce glass of that will surely get you drunk, and if you don't weigh much it may be enough to cause alcohol poisoning. Two or three of those will probably do it for anyone.

I've heard of an immediate danger with drinking high-alcohol-content drinks. There's this flap in your throat that switches between the lungs when you breathe and the stomach when you swallow. A high-alcohol liquid can paralyze the muscle that operates the flap, so that it won't go back to connect the throat to the lungs. From that you won't be able to breathe, and you die within minutes.

Why not just have them drink a pint of everclear?
I don't think the vodka would make much difference one way or the other.

A pint of spirits? Who would want to drink that? Even hardcore alkies have some class. If there is a choice involved then I'd say you would have trouble making any character drink a pint of spirits - unless she or he was young and foolish or had some kinda funnel set-up going on.

scarletpeaches said:

I don't know what Everclear is; it's not sold over here, or if it is, I've never heard of it.

A pint of something with vodka in it, though? You'd need a strong stomach. And in all seriousness, a death wish.

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Everclear is a grain alcohol product generally used for mixing. It's commonly sold at 190 proof (95% alcohol) unless prohibited by law and then it's sold at 151 proof (about 75% alcohol).

The only time I've had Everclear is at a "garbage can" party in college. The cost of admission is to pour a bottle of something alcoholic into a new, clean garbage can. There was a base of something fruity like Kool-aid. Someone added a liter of Everclear and the party was over shortly after that. People passed out on the floor, couches, in the hallways, in the bathroom, etc.

There's another brand of 190 proof sold in the US, Golden Grain. I'd advise against the use of either one for consumption (um, don't ask), unless you're trying to kill someone.

stray said:

A pint of spirits? Who would want to drink that? Even hardcore alkies have some class. If there is a choice involved then I'd say you would have trouble making any character drink a pint of spirits - unless she or he was young and foolish or had some kinda funnel set-up going on.

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Eh? Were talking about a regular 1 pint bar glass/mug here, right?

Anyway, 1/2 a pint of everclear should do most of the trick, or at least be enough to make a person with normal alchol consumption sick.

I have known people who could down that mixture without laughing at the floor, but it can't be done in a single draught. It would take an hour, or so, and one would expect to eat some peanuts or crackers with cheese to give the stomach something to keep it busy.

Yes, I just calculated it, and I watched a guy drink that much. He survived and even walked, kind of.

You can't drink a pint of Everclear. Yuck. The mix is to make the cocktail less vile.

Over what period of time is this cocktail downed? That makes a difference.

By the way, the psychoactive properties of absenthe is highly overrated. The supposed active ingredient, wormwood, is in short supply in the drink. It's very bitter and you probably couldn't drink it it it were in higher consntrations. But, most have a higher alcohol rate than most drinks.

People have drunk drain cleaner, bleach, and various acids. You can drink anything if you make your mind up to it. Keeping it down is another thing.

StephanieFox said:

By the way, the psychoactive properties of absenthe is highly overrated. The supposed active ingredient, wormwood, is in short supply in the drink. It's very bitter and you probably couldn't drink it it it were in higher concentrations. But, most have a higher alcohol rate than most drinks.

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Careful examination has shown that alcohol is responsible for all of the effects of absinthe. The wormwood is just a garnish.

A pint glass has 32 ozs. I'm not sure how many folks could down 16 oz. of Everclear plus 16 oz. of vodka and absinthe and walk away with a pulse. So yeah, that's a nasty cocktail you've got going.

If you're talking a male protag, over 240 lbs, drinking regular hard liquor, they'd hit a BAC of .16 at 10 drinks (1.25oz) in 40 minutes. That's 80 proof stuff, not 190. With a pint, you're talking 26 1.25oz drinks. Then take into account that Everclear is basically paint thinner, and you're easily edging into the coma and death zone. A hardcore alcoholic may fair better, but the average Joe is going to be hurting bad.

Grain alcohol (Everclear et. al.) is/was a staple at Frat parties. Trash Can Punch, designed to get the girls drunk (never worked, the guys passed out first...), Purple Passions (Grain alcohol and grape juice), Mystery Punch or whatever. The only time (That I remember clearly) I saw someone drink straight grain alcohol it came back out faster than it went in.

On the other hand, Absinthe was outlawed due to it's psychoactive properties. In the last 20 years, people have realized that it really doesn't have any. Absinthe (the ones I've seen) are about 151 proof. About that same as a decent rum.

Any of these can lead to alcohol poisoning, if the subject can keep them down. More likely is suffocating in your own vomit.

Jeff

There are 16 ounces in a pint, and there are 32 ounces in a quart.

benbradley said:

I've heard of an immediate danger with drinking high-alcohol-content drinks. There's this flap in your throat that switches between the lungs when you breathe and the stomach when you swallow. A high-alcohol liquid can paralyze the muscle that operates the flap, so that it won't go back to connect the throat to the lungs. From that you won't be able to breathe, and you die within minutes.

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That flap is called the epiglottis; as to whether that really happens, I don't know.

So equivalent to about a litre of ethanol? Yes that could make person very unwell

Archerbird said:

Why not just have them drink a pint of everclear?
I don't think the vodka would make much difference one way or the other.

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Well, the vodka would help dilute the Everclear, I suppose.
I've known people who drank the Polish version: 'spiritus', but that was in little shot-glass quantities. Many, many little shot-glass quantities. One after the other.
I don't know that even my mum's friend Mr.F would drink a pint in one go.
But if he was still alive, he'd be pleased to make the experiment for you.

I used to have an insanely high tolerance--5'5" and 100 lbs soaking wet, and I could drink every guy I knew under the table. Then I tried Purple Passion (Everclear and grape juice) at a club in New Orleans (where I lived at the time). I made it through three glasses--about two shots of Everclear per glass. First I got horribly dizzy, then angry. Tried to walk the six blocks home, forgot where I lived, and started blacking out. Sat down on some random stairs and called my dad to pick me up. Spent the night puking my guts out.

That said, I've known a couple of people who could pull off that quantity. The Irish guy who once lined up 26 Irish Car Bombs (stout, Irish cream and whiskey) on the bar, did them all in rapid succession and still made it back to the hostel in one piece comes to mind. But it's exceptionally rare and requires an alcoholic-level tolerance along with an iron-clad stomach.

In Florida Everclear was a key ingredient in Hunch Punch, where the Everclear was mixed with fruit punch, and often some actual fruit. It would get you very drunk.

I recall one ol' boy sipping Everclear straight from the bottle. He passed it to a friend who wanted to show how tough he was. Took one sip and puked. Good times...

Snick said:

There are 16 ounces in a pint, and there are 32 ounces in a quart.

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Yup, you're right. My bad! But still vomit-worthy. 16 oz is going to mess a person up if they drink it fast. Heck, 16 oz of a college-grade Everclear screwdriver will mess a gal up, too. Not that I have any experience with that......

KyraDune said:

Say you had a pint, half Everclear half Devil's Creek Vodka with a splash of absinthe. Could a person drink that? I'm trying to make up a drink that would probably kill you if you drank it, or at least make you really really sick. Something no sane person would even try to drink. Any help would be appreciated.

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Course they could. Whether they'd keep it down, and the effects it would have are another story.

I did a rough calculation and you'd be looking at a drink that was about 60% alcohol, calculated out and that's about a pint worth of vodka/gin/rum etc in terms of proof - which is about, what, two thirds of a standard 70cl bottle?

I know a lot of people who can get through a whole 70cl (ten glass) bottle on their own - I mean, that's only 5 doubles, right? I know I sure as hell can.

But I have friends who can't.

And this is where individual factors come into play - metabolism, age, build, tolerance etc.

It also depends on WHAT you are drinking as to how it effects you - some folk, like my brother, just cannot drink wine. It literally kills him for days. Some folks get really, really drunk very quickly on things like champagne, others can drink beer all night long (16-20 pints) with no ill effects.

blackrose602 said:

That said, I've known a couple of people who could pull off that quantity. The Irish guy who once lined up 26 Irish Car Bombs (stout, Irish cream and whiskey) on the bar, did them all in rapid succession and still made it back to the hostel in one piece comes to mind. But it's exceptionally rare and requires an alcoholic-level tolerance along with an iron-clad stomach.

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Where I come from this is normal.






*shame*