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Slight Overdose
Alcohol
Citation:   D.One. "Slight Overdose: An Experience with Alcohol (exp26905)". Erowid.org. Jan 3, 2005. erowid.org/exp/26905

 
DOSE:
500 ml oral Alcohol - Hard (liquid)
BODY WEIGHT: 85 kg
Since I haven't yet had any drug experiences other than alcohol yet in my life, I couldn't possibly think of any greater way of helping but to give a description of my first time usage and aftereffects.

Background:
I'm 19 years old now, unemployed and looking for a job. I've got plans to do school next autumn for some years of study in computer games. For most part of my life I've been a shy, unsocial, and slightly nervous guy who did my homework and hated tobacco, alcohol and drugs in any aspect. When I use the phrase 'hated' I mean that I saw no point in using these things, and the users of it only prove to get silly to the rest of the world - or just disturbing and annoying. I grew up with a mother and a dad that regulary got drunk, and started arguing all the time. They sometimes fought but they never really hurt each other. You could say it mostly was a heavy duty verbal mess in our house *grin*

Due to the fact that I was raised with alcohol in my home (I dont suppose that mum and dad could be classed as alcoholics, but they used it quite frequently, and when they did - hell broke loose) I got the picture of it that all it did was no-good. Everytime someone would offer me a drink, I declined the offer. I 'hated' it.

Now to time around ingest:
It wasn't until this spring that I began to think about using alcohol. I've been through a depressive state for about a year, circulating around how life works; defining what life really is. I won't discuss this matter here, both of reason that if you accept this belief it will probably fuck up your head, and, it would be really long and so on.

Anyway - As I was accepting the idea of alcohol, I sent my brother to buy me some booze. I've tasted some liquor that my mum had bought a few weeks ago and thought that it would do, since I was 'quite' unexperienced in the field of drinks. Well, I kinda had a friend 'J' over at my place, and he acted like a babysitter even though we didn't plan it that way. Since I was unemployed, I started drinking the very sweet liquor at around noon, and my friend was cheering me to go on and sweep it all down.

First off, I opened the bottle and sniffed it. Ah, a very 'sharp' smell indeed. I had a quite small glass which would hold about a regular shot, or maybe two maximum (about half size of regular water glass). I poured it up and sipped it slowly while sitting on the floor with my legs crossed. I had a slight nervous feeling since I didn't knew what was going to happen, but my general pre-belief was that you don't really get that affected, that nothing can take control of yourself. I expected to get dizzy and have altered orientation.

Me and my friend 'J' started playing some poker, using cents as bets. We kept it low since we didnt have much money, but we both liked the idea to gamble for money. I started off good with a few wins, and I drank - what he thought was - quite fast. He said that I should slow down a bit. Unexperienced as I were, I didn't believe him really, since the worst thing that could happen was that I'd get sick and threw up plus disorientation.

After about 10 minutes after the first drink, I noticed that I got warm and cozy, but I had an awful taste in the mouth due to the liquor's sweetness factor. Way too much sugar! I guess that I had about 4 or 6 glasses by this point. I also noticed that I could move my arms much more freely, as if someone would have oiled my limbs! I also noticed that I swayed back and forth much more easily. This was not really uncomforting, and I had a great time swinging my arms around while playing. 'J' must of thought me as an asshole =)

After about 15 minutes, and two more glasses, I began to get sleepy/dreamy. Its quite hard to describe, but it felt like I could not fixate my thought or sight on one single object for some time. I started to get slightly nervous, and thought I'd sit in the sofa instead. Well, as I tried to get up from my position on the floor (I had remained in the same position the whole time til now) I noticed that I flew up like a rocket! I could move so quick, but sadly to say not to accurately. It felt like the smallest move would be accelerated and keep going in one direction and it was hard to get my limbs to be exactly where they ought to be.

As I sat down on the sofa, I had a quick shot more, and I felt that it was becoming more and more hard to swallow any more. I've consumed about half the bottle, 250 ml of 32% in 15 minutes. I recall that I leaned backward on the sofa to get a comfortable position, but then I was to clear my throat - and it was here I started to panic.

As I cleared my throat, and swallowed it back down it felt like the goo got stuck midway down. It could be compared to a choking feeling. It was there and I couldnt get it away. It was irritating my throat and the more I tried to get it away, the harder I had to breathe. Well, I didn't 'really' have a hard time breathing, but since I had taken so much alcohol in such short notice, my throat had gone numb and it was like a phantom feeling that I had something in my throat. I was remember thinking 'oh god, what is this shit?' After awhile, I began to realize that it was just imaginary and I kept playing with 'J' with a slight discomfort in my throat, but I had no more panic.

About +20 minutes since I started drinking I felt very weird. I had a hard time concentrating on the cards laying on the floor, and I couldnt make out any winning patterns in my game. I recall that I showed him my cards when we compared, and I had a pair of knights. He had nothing. But then all of a sudden he sneaked in another king to his cards and I was very puzzled by this. How could a card turn to another?! I didn't realize that he put another card there - even though I was watching him the whole time and even saw the act. It just wouldn't compute!

At +25 minutes I began to get really 'wasted' if you'd say, meaning that I somehow felt out of myself. Not like what they describe a out of body experience (oobe), but more like a sort of... Hmm, 'I'm not in control, I just watch', but I recall some vision of seeing me from above me sitting in the sofa. This was however more of some dream fragment, and should not be considered as a out of body experience. It was very dreamlike.

The world felt surreal and I wanted to sleep. I finished off the whole bottle around +30m. I can't remember much of this but my friend took pictures and movie clips of me. I can see from these pictures and clips that I seemed very unaware of the surrounding area. At one, I simply looked blankly forward, and at another clip of video I was laying on the sofa, kicking and flopsying my arms around. On that clip you can also see that the picture behind the sofa is tilted. I guess I must have hit it, but I have NO memory of doing so. When I was 'animated', I mainly fell over myself all the time, not being able to stand straight. The last clip shows me just sitting there, looking into the void, the thin air if you like. On this clip you can also notice that the picture is all removed from behind me. I have absolutely no idea of how it was taken away (or how I knocked it down).

I spend about 15-30 more minutes in the room and I began to feel sick. No matter how I laid down, the sickness was still there. At about +45 to +60 minutes, I sought refuge to the bathroom and spent FOUR hours puking. This was a real nightmare. I can't remember much of it, since I seem to have memory gaps of the evening. I do remember though that I felt overly sick and since I drank a lot of water from the sink, I got very very cold. At first, I puked in the sink, but I have a slight memory that I mumbled something to my mum, and she had to plum the pipe clean. At the final stages of puking, all that came forth was a yellow substance that tasted hell. Sorta acid thingey. Eventually there came nothing, but I had a noncontrollable uge to puke and it only hurt.

Finally the nightmare was over, and 'J' had gone home by long time ago. It felt like I was there for 45 minutes but mum and dad (and clock) proved 4 hours. I went to bed without any problems to get to sleep (in fact, it felt very relieving) and woke up a few hours later, at 8 pm. I felt fine but had slight nausea. Nothing disturbing though, and I thought that it was a hangover. I had some food and began playing games, but then I began to start feeling sick again.

Next morning:
The next morning I felt fine. No headache or anything. One thing that alarmed me though was that when I went to pee, it turned out like a unclear solution with a white/yellow color. First I thought my liver had gone, then I thought I had gonorrhoea but studies proved that it was just the huge amount of sugar that gave this strange effect to my pee. This wears off in a day or so.

Afterthoughts:
Well, I found out that alcohol wasn't that grand at my first attempt, and I didnt realize how people would appreciate it. I told myself to never use it again, but within a month or two I was at it again. My opinion changed as I used it more, and I came to use it at a regular basis (once a week or so). I had a carve for it, its hard to explain but I feel like I need it to have fun.

I've always eaten well before drinking, since this seems to aid nausea. I did once drink a lot without any food in 1 day. That day was the first one with hangover, and boy - I don't want that. Its like walking hell. My orientation is off match and I feel sick... Very sick. Also had a headache but that was the least of my worries.

Additional information:
I was prescribed the antidepressant drug Fluoxetine. I've used alcohol in addition to my antidepressants with no negative effects. The doctor said it was okay to drink while I was eating them, but when I now (today) happened to come across a website that described Fluoxetine, it said that one should avoid alcohol with this medication.

Today, I'm a more socially open person who likes to hang out with people. I don't know if its the use of alcohol that has changed me but it has clearly loosened up my opinion about stuff. I do feel that my first experince was very bad but all I could do was to ride it out.

My tip to unexperienced alcohol users is that they should not drink it with haste. Let it flow over 1-2 hours.

Exp Year: 2003ExpID: 26905
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jan 3, 2005Views: 20,581
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Alcohol - Hard (198) : Small Group (2-9) (17), Overdose (29), First Times (2)

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