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Absinthe/hallucinations:The Bottom Line (My Testimony)

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
The discussion on absinthe a few weeks ago seemed to go on forever, but we never did really answer the pressing question: Does it make you fucking hallucinate or not?! From what I read, everyone else passed out before anything happened, had really weak shit (6-10 mg), and only one person said they actually had a trip from the stuff.

So, I purchased 2 1/2 litre bottles of absinthe to pursue this pressing question myself. They contained 73% alcohol and 35 mg of thujone, which is more than triple the content of standard strengths. I'm not a huge drinker, but I spent the last 2 weeks drinking to get my alcohol tolerancy back up to speed for the testing.

Ok, so day 1 I hardly cracked it open, got used to the taste, had a few drinks of 40 proof sake and a shot of 80 proof vodka with it, as I wanted to see if a single drink would have any subtle effects. Got me drunk a whole lot faster, and did give a bit of a buzz. Not too bad!

day 2 I wanted to drink ONLY the absinthe and start to get the full effects of it. On a TV demonstation, the head guy at vintageabsinthe.com made it with about 4 parts water, but that just seemed absurd to me, so I used about half that much and one sugar cube. I must say it, was VERY smooth, especially for being fucking 146 proof. It was hardly diluted, yet there was virtually no burn, and it tastes slightly of black licorice, so surprisingly actually drinking it was rather enjoyable. drank each cup in about 3 gulps, no problem. I didn't want to get too drunk to experiance the thujone buzz, so I spaced out the drinks a bit, and it worked quite well. So...yeah, it gets you pretty damn high. Different sort of high, but still very pleasant, euphoria-type. It is quite potent, as I was sober enough to walk a perfectly straight line, yet had quite a high. Had a fourth drink a while later and unfortunately fatigue started to set in, as I was somewhat lacking in the sleep department, and I started to dose off shortly thereafter.

The third day I went all out and ended-up drinking about 1/3 of the bottle. Obviously, I was actually drunk this time around and high as fuck. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering about the hallucinations, so I'll tell you straight out: IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU HALLUCINATE. But as I said, it does give you quite a good high. I should note however, that there was a varience in colours that I noticed in the peak of my buzz. Took a few seconds to blink at one point. I was with friends this time and it made me very sociable/giddy. The alcohol certainly helped, but I could easily tell that it was more than an alcohol buzz. The best part though? Absolutely NO comedown or hangover! I thought it would be pretty harsh, especially with the high alcohol/thujone content and the fact that I never ended-up going to bed. In fact, I had to go to work about an hour (a fucking 9 hour shift too) after I stopped drinking, and was able to perform my duties no problem (well, no serious problem). The high lasts a good couple hours, so not too shabby.

So, the bottom line? No, it does not make you hallucinate, but it'll get you freaking drunk, or if you'd rather not get wasted, even only a drink or two will give you a pretty good high, so potentially, you could get high quite a few times off of one bottle. Not a great value, but not horrid, espescially if you can find a deal like I did. I'll probably still order a bottle every now and then myself as the high is very unique, but for the most part I'll stick to spendimg on speed :D

I still plan on trying the 111 mg thujone variety in the future, though. Maybe that'll do the trick, maybe not. I'll be sure to provide a detailed report then...

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    could you not gently simmer it to boil some of the alcohol off first, to leave you with the active ingredient and water etc?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've had this before and it never made me hallucinate. I know alcohol is a drug but this stuff isn't proper drugs is it as I was just under the impression it was strong alcohol! I would never take drugs (except for drinking alcohol of course!) so I'd be quite angry at my mate if I found out if it was anything more than strong alcohol! It just made me get drunk quite quickly. I just drank the stuff outta the bottle as I liked the taste! I had a really sore throat at the time I had this and I found it made a good throat medicine :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is that so? Well, I've got one helluva cold, so maybe I'll have a little drinkie before I turn in.

    Oh, and a little update about the active ingredient...you build-up a tolerance to it VERY quickly! Had the same amount on day 2 yesterday and it did practically nothing! That said, it should only be consumed on occasion, or you end-up wasting it...
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    *Stacey* wrote:
    I've had this before and it never made me hallucinate. I know alcohol is a drug but this stuff isn't proper drugs is it as I was just under the impression it was strong alcohol! I would never take drugs (except for drinking alcohol of course!) so I'd be quite angry at my mate if I found out if it was anything more than strong alcohol!

    Proper absinthe contains an extract of Wormwood which is seperate drug completely.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To understand all the hype about absinthe and its potential for psychoactive use, it’s worth looking at the historical perspective that began in the 1870’s. I did some research on this a while ago and it's fairly interesting how it's gaining popularity against all odds.

    Thujone is the “active” ingredient of absinthe that is derived from wormwood as Skive just mentioned. Keep in mind that although it’s structurally similar to THC, that doesn’t necessarily mean it produces exacty the same effects. Since thujone is basically unpalatable, the better distilleries developed methods that made it better tasting, as well as removed toxins that would otherwise cause a nasty hangover. The original absinthe varieties were described as heightening clarity of mind, promoting deep thinking and as giving a “warm” feeling that was not quite like alcohol.

    Its cost placed it in the hands of the upper class, but as it gained popularity and the working class wanted it, low-end distilleries started manufacturing it. They ultimately started using inferior distillation processes to gain the desired dual translucent effect that clouded when mixed with water, as well as beets and cereals instead of the fruit that the high-end manufacturers used. It’s well know that toxic metals were included in the ingredients in the cheaper varieties, notably antimony chloride (for cloudiness) and copper sulfate (instead of chlorophyll).

    The end result is that there were absinthe bars everywhere and people started to experience adverse reactions such as seizures, fluid in the lungs, kidney blockage and severe hallucinations that eventually led to its banning. In hindsight, the severe reactions may have been nothing more than poisoning from the cheaper ingredients.

    No one knows how the original absinthe products were made – the desired effects may have very well resulted from some combination of herbal flavoring and thujone. In any event, today’s absinthe is unlikely to be similar to the absinthe of the past due to a lack of potential profit from extensive distillation in combination with the difficulties surrounding its widespread banning. Even if it was proven that the bulk of adverse reactions resulted from metal toxins, the problem is that while it’s easy to ban something, it’s more difficult to un-ban it because you now have to prove it as being safe, and that takes money.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, i gues i will put my two cents in....... last night my friend offered me some and i tried it. I had like two drinks and after a while i started to feel it. I started to feel almost high like on pot or something most likely because like CuzIcare said thujone is similar to THC. I also started to feel all warm very similar to drinking some strong alcohol..... then again i did because this stuff was into the 70% alcohol content.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The discussion on absinthe a few weeks ago seemed to go on forever, but we never did really answer the pressing question: Does it make you fucking hallucinate or not?! From what I read, everyone else passed out before anything happened, had really weak shit (6-10 mg), and only one person said they actually had a trip from the stuff.

    So, I purchased 2 1/2 litre bottles of absinthe to pursue this pressing question myself. They contained 73% alcohol and 35 mg of thujone, which is more than triple the content of standard strengths. I'm not a huge drinker, but I spent the last 2 weeks drinking to get my alcohol tolerancy back up to speed for the testing.

    Ok, so day 1 I hardly cracked it open, got used to the taste, had a few drinks of 40 proof sake and a shot of 80 proof vodka with it, as I wanted to see if a single drink would have any subtle effects. Got me drunk a whole lot faster, and did give a bit of a buzz. Not too bad!

    day 2 I wanted to drink ONLY the absinthe and start to get the full effects of it. On a TV demonstation, the head guy at vintageabsinthe.com made it with about 4 parts water, but that just seemed absurd to me, so I used about half that much and one sugar cube. I must say it, was VERY smooth, especially for being fucking 146 proof. It was hardly diluted, yet there was virtually no burn, and it tastes slightly of black licorice, so surprisingly actually drinking it was rather enjoyable. drank each cup in about 3 gulps, no problem. I didn't want to get too drunk to experiance the thujone buzz, so I spaced out the drinks a bit, and it worked quite well. So...yeah, it gets you pretty damn high. Different sort of high, but still very pleasant, euphoria-type. It is quite potent, as I was sober enough to walk a perfectly straight line, yet had quite a high. Had a fourth drink a while later and unfortunately fatigue started to set in, as I was somewhat lacking in the sleep department, and I started to dose off shortly thereafter.

    The third day I went all out and ended-up drinking about 1/3 of the bottle. Obviously, I was actually drunk this time around and high as fuck. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering about the hallucinations, so I'll tell you straight out: IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU HALLUCINATE. But as I said, it does give you quite a good high. I should note however, that there was a varience in colours that I noticed in the peak of my buzz. Took a few seconds to blink at one point. I was with friends this time and it made me very sociable/giddy. The alcohol certainly helped, but I could easily tell that it was more than an alcohol buzz. The best part though? Absolutely NO comedown or hangover! I thought it would be pretty harsh, especially with the high alcohol/thujone content and the fact that I never ended-up going to bed. In fact, I had to go to work about an hour (a fucking 9 hour shift too) after I stopped drinking, and was able to perform my duties no problem (well, no serious problem). The high lasts a good couple hours, so not too shabby.

    So, the bottom line? No, it does not make you hallucinate, but it'll get you freaking drunk, or if you'd rather not get wasted, even only a drink or two will give you a pretty good high, so potentially, you could get high quite a few times off of one bottle. Not a great value, but not horrid, espescially if you can find a deal like I did. I'll probably still order a bottle every now and then myself as the high is very unique, but for the most part I'll stick to spendimg on speed :D

    I still plan on trying the 111 mg thujone variety in the future, though. Maybe that'll do the trick, maybe not. I'll be sure to provide a detailed report then...
    now that sounds like very enjoyable research indeedy!
    i had a swig of it many years ago and couldn't stand the taste ...never seen any since. :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, i gues i will put my two cents in....... last night my friend offered me some and i tried it. I had like two drinks and after a while i started to feel it. I started to feel almost high like on pot or something most likely because like CuzIcare said thujone is similar to THC. I also started to feel all warm very similar to drinking some strong alcohol..... then again i did because this stuff was into the 70% alcohol content.

    Sounds like it may have been the alcohol more than anything else. Interestingly, the original absinthes were 120-150 proof which added to the social problems behind the banning.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes, that I can see how that may have caused many a chummers to become alcoholics...

    ...I should add that the "warm", content feeling actually makes you feel warm temperature-wise, and not just behind the cheeks like alcohol can do. Made my sore throat feel a thousand times better too, even just taking a teensy-tiny diluted sip :thumb: Looks like you were right, Stacy...

    And even without sugar it's really not bad. Tried to light a sugar cube, and it burned really poorly (for about a minute...yikes), so I had this half melted lump in the bottom for one of the drinks:yuck: Just pouriong ice-cold water over it to break it up works fine, and you really only need 1 cube...
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    I just came across this question from the Erowid website that is relative to this thread, thought it was worth posting up...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That’s interesting, LadyJade.

    I truly think there is something quite profound with the original absinthe varieties when you consider absinthe bars were as common as today’s cappuccino bars in cities like Paris and New Orleans. However, without the masters of distillation like Pernod behind them, whatever it was may never be understood. If I recall, although it was widely available, primarily France was overwhelmed by the hospitalizations which could mean either they consumed it more heavily or local varieties were more toxic. There’s also a gap of 30 years between when it was “perfected” and when people started showing up in hospitals en masse to the point it was regarded as dangerous. I question if anything can substantially counter 120-150 proof alcohol or we’d surely have developed an antidote for alcohol poisoning by now.

    I think there may have been more to the original ingredients that perhaps acted with or synergistically to thujone thereby reducing the ethanol effects somewhat while creating a low-level psychoactive effect, but that whatever it was is an art lost forever. These days it seems to be a mere fad resurrected by Hollywood or something to at least try once, but no one seems to think it’s the greatest thing that’s come their way. No varieties out there can explain why a city of notoriously non-conformist people made the "green hour" a social norm!

    And worse than the current crude varieties is the occasional do-it-yourself attempt to derive thujone effects that ends in a trip to the hospital. People forget that the extract from wormwood leaves and/or flowers is distilled to remove the more serious toxins.

    It’s certainly a fascinating mystery, but I’ll think I’ll stick to a fine scotch just the same! :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    CuzICare, Are you sure about the toxins in wormwood? I've tried wormwood tea, I was fine.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    CuzICare, Are you sure about the toxins in wormwood? I've tried wormwood tea, I was fine.
    It’s actually the wormwood oil that’s extremely dangerous, but a large amount of leaves is also considered harmful. That’s hardly an issue with herbal teas, and wormwood remedies go back far in history. I don’t think you’ll find any serious incidents related to either the tea or absinthe itself other than people find some brands too bitter to enjoy. It’s just the person who jumps on the bandwagon and looks for a quick or inexpensive shortcut, or picks up on the “wormwood” aspect without looking at how it should be consumed.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree wtih pusher_collector that the warm feeling was all over and not in the cheeks. Also a feeling of content in the world came over me and i wasnt stressed out or anything, but that may have been the alcohol.

    Back to the discusssion when absinth is distilled i think its made from the ground up root and not the leaves or flowers and yes i have read things about people trying to make their own absinth and turned out with nasty side effects and a nice trip to the poison ward.
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    CuzICare wrote:
    It’s actually the wormwood oil that’s extremely dangerous, but a large amount of leaves is also considered harmful.

    Just for the sake of clarity, its the thujone that is thought to be toxic, and as AlbinoRhino said, the thujone content is not concentrated in the leafy part of the plant. A process called steam distillation is undertaken to extract the oil from the leaves and flowers, and the oil has a higher concentration of thujone. There isn't enough heat in boiling water to extract the levels of oil needed to cause toxicity, but you still need to be careful.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LadyJade wrote:
    Just for the sake of clarity, its the thujone that is thought to be toxic, and as AlbinoRhino said, the thujone content is not concentrated in the leafy part of the plant. A process called steam distillation is undertaken to extract the oil from the leaves and flowers, and the oil has a higher concentration of thujone. There isn't enough heat in boiling water to extract the levels of oil needed to cause toxicity, but you still need to be careful.

    Thanks for clearing that up LadyJade. Also, to add to my last point, the ones that are getting sick are the ones that are going to try to make it themselves and dont have a clue on how to do it or the dangers of them doing so.
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