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Jakarta Post

The dangers of methanol poisoning

Alcohol has always had the potential to be deadly

Brea Olivia Salim (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, March 15, 2014

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The dangers of methanol poisoning

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lcohol has always had the potential to be deadly. More often than not, death calls when alcohol is consumed in overwhelming doses. But what if death calls when you are, in fact, drinking responsibly?

My friend, Ina, has always been aware she has a low tolerance for alcohol. She is naturally small in size and, thus, on a recent night out, limited herself to two drinks '€” two shots of whiskey mixed with Coca Cola. Unbeknown to her was the fact that her friend had bought the whiskey from a warung (small kiosk), rather than from a legitimate liquor vendor.

Ina told me she felt a little strange the next day but thought she was just nursing an ordinary hangover. The real disaster, however, ensued the day after. As Ina'€™s mother walked in the room that morning, she immediately smelled vomit. Ina had unconsciously spent the whole night throwing up in her bedroom, as she was too weak to get herself to the bathroom.

The drama of the morning quickly escalated. Ina began hallucinating '€” her mother later described her as being kesetanan (possessed) '€” and her body temperature dropped significantly. Ina'€™s mother immediately rushed her daughter to the nearest hospital. When Ina arrived in the emergency room, the medical staff instantly gave their diagnosis, Oplosan lagi, oplosan lagi.

Oplosan (boot-leg alcohol) has robbed a number of lives over the past few months. Although there are no official statistics on how many people have died from consuming oplosan, there have been many publicized cases in the media.

In addition to locals'€™ deaths, foreigners have also been victims of oplosan. Liam Davies, a 19-year-old Australian tourist, had made sure to drink only pre-packaged alcoholic drinks, having been informed of foreigners who died after consuming illegal alcoholic drinks, before his trip to Gili Trawangan in December 2012. As part of his New Year celebrations, Davies ordered a vodka mixer, thinking he was still drinking responsibly. Yet despite his safety precautions, Davies died on Jan. 5, 2013, as the vodka he had consumed turned out to be another oplosan, having been laced with methanol.

Methanol, the deadly substance in these drinks, is a highly toxic chemical used in drain cleaner and paint stripper. It was no surprise then, that upon seeing Ina'€™s condition, the medical staff in the emergency room told her family to prepare for the worst.

Fortunately, dialysis was instantly performed upon Ina'€™s arrival. Unlike in the cases of Davies and those who died from drinking oplosan, most of the methanol was immediately cleaned out of Ina'€™s system. It was certainly a miracle that Ina survived.

But Ina still attends daily physical and speech sessions even after being discharged from hospital, due to the fact that the methanol damaged the part of her brain that controlled behavior, movement and speech. Ina'€™s sight has also gone blurry, something that can only get better with time.

Used to being an active young girl, Ina now seems like a whole new person. Thankfully, she retains the same positive spirit she has always had.

Although the worst part for Ina has fortunately passed, I was still left speechless at the whole ordeal, and then did some research on Indonesia'€™s alcohol market. Imported, high-quality liquor is very expensive, which is why people revert to buying the cheap oplosan in the first place.

Making imported liquor more readily available for consumers, however, conflicts with ethical and religious issues, as it is forbidden for Muslims to consume liquor. For instance, the Islamic-based United Development Party (PPP) drafted a bill in January 2013 that called for a total ban on alcohol. Although the House of Representatives did not pass the bill, this showed how any legislation proposing cheaper alcohol prices would not be well-received.

Yet, if we were to abide by religious rules and abolish liquor completely '€” momentarily setting aside the ethical issue of imposing our beliefs on others who do not necessarily share them '€” the problem would only worsen. Ultimately, if alcohol was prohibited, a black market would spring up in the country.

If no alcohol was available among legitimate liquor vendors, consumers would automatically revert to finding other suppliers, which the black market would certainly be able to provide. The lack of a legitimate alcohol supply and the rising demand for liquor would only strengthen the black market for alcohol, make bottles of oplosan more readily available and result in the loss of more lives. It is clear that the prohibition of alcohol should not be considered if the government is truly invested in finding a feasible solution to this matter.

A first step the government could consider, aside from alcohol regulation reform, would be to inform the masses on alcohol, through classes at public schools, for instance. It may be forbidden for Muslims to drink alcohol, but that is clearly not stopping everyone.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 69 percent of the alcohol consumed in Southeast Asia goes unrecorded. Why not educate people in order for them to make an informed decision?

Clearly, the government needs to act quickly. There are definitely many religious and economic factors at play, but politics should not get in the way of us working toward stopping those who make money from selling this deadly substance. Or else, the serial killer called oplosan will surely claim more lives.

The writer is studying at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York.

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