Chasing the Green Fairy

[sophistry]

Okay.

Clearly I need to perfect the Czech ritual as a nightcap before trying the Château Saint Ferran again because OH DEAR JESUS FIRE BURN LSDMF;LASKD;.

And I literally took it two minutes ago and the world is fuzzy around me and I am having to go back and correct drunken typos.

That's what 160 proof does to you; at least a five-minute advantage over 140 proof/70% ABV.

Wow.


...


Aaaaand my balance is shot. Gone. Kaput.

On the other hand, goodness, the (several minutes) aftertaste of this is wonderful. Of course, this is because I tend not to like aniseed-y things (which is rather a disadvantage), and this one apparently has enough cannabis in it to relegate the liquorice-y taste to the background. Shall have to try with 3 parts water next time and see how it fares sipping-wise as opposed to a neat (if Czechified) shot.

Curiously, the only information online I can find about this brand labels it as 70% ABV, whilst my bottle quite clearly says 80% ABV on the front. Hm. Of course, the only English listings I can find don't mention the cannabis that is featured quite blatantly on my label. Only the German and French listings. Bizarre. Especially since it's a Spanish brand. It's quite noticeably stronger and more powerful (and nicer) than the 70% bottle I've inched through over the past year and a bit, though, so I'm inclined to trust my label, and not the reviews. Possibly they only sell the stronger kind to the Irish. Or my mother.

[timelapse]

V. strange. Loitering in the 'whee the world is filled with cotton wool and is just a little spinny' stage, without entering 'drowsy' - which is nice, actually, except the reason I took the shot was to knock myself out.

And I don't particularly feel drunk either. I mean, I know I've always said that drunk on absinthe =/= drunk on anything else, but... compared to the other bottle, whose name I am too lazy to go up and check, I am experiencing a quite astonishing clarity of thought.

Of course, is always possible that I am actually shitfaced and typing gibberish and don't realise it. I suppose we shall see in the morning (four hours and 40mins, aaaahhhh), no?

(If you're wondering, it does occur to me to ask myself: how many times is a habit? But you know what I like? I like sleeping. Doctor on Wednesday.)

Comments

[blueeyedtigress.livejournal.com]

You had me concerned, so I did some research -- it seem that the toxin present in old-style absinthe (detrived, of course, from wormwood) was a lot more potent than most available today. Interesting article here.

[sophistry]

Well, yes - even given the tendency of every absinthe bottle I've ever seen to tactfully avoid mentioning *cough* certain wormy, woody herbal ingredients on the label, I'd imagine thujone levels in today's absinthe are substantially lower than in Ye Absinthe Of Yore - if only because those who sell it want to remain in business. Ireland, I know, bans the selling of thujone-containing absinthe, though you can import it personally. Even so, you can't get the powerful 70% / 80% drink in a lot of countries; the more potent types of poitín have about the same ABV, and that's most certainly illegal here. And: Ireland.

[unravels.livejournal.com]

*eyes*

I'm not going to get worried until you stop correcting the typos. ;)

[mad-megan.livejournal.com]

Here is a very informative, if a bit dry, page on thujone.

http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/about.html

I wouldn't panic. Seems to me what was making people get dead in the past had more to do with bathtub brewing techniques and less to do with thujone content. As with many other herbal remedies (and it was used as a remedy for centuries, as stated in this article), everything in moderation. I don't think it kills anymore brain cells than THC.

:)

I am very jealous of your absinthe. I'm in the US and can't get anything worth a crap here. Of course, it's also hard to get a good beer here.

Salud!

[sophistry]

Well really, more than the wormwood content of modern absinthe, what's causing my pensiveness on the subject of having A Habit is more the fact of having downed, in the past while, more shots of 70%-80% ABV alcohol to help me sleep than I probably should. There's a history of various kinds of addiction in my family, which is why I've been avoiding yer actual sleeping pills and whatnot - it just also tends to mean I keep a slightly beady eye on what I consume. At least with absinthe, the FIRE IN MY MOUTH OH GOD WHYYYY is a deterrent.

I know; I'm terribly vanilla.

Absinthe, AFAIK, is legal to possess and drink in the US - just not to sell. Obviously, this should probably be at least cursorily Googled first, but I think American law allows you to order over The Internets just fine.

[mad-megan.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about that. I figured it must be possible but I couldn't wrap my mind around the legality BS...being able to order it but not buy it here. Hmf. I mean, there are prices at SpiritsCorner.com in Euros, Pesos, and Dollars. Mayhape I'll be giving that a shot.

Ah, I posted the info about thujone based on what your other friends mentioned. I remembered reading about it some time ago, and wanted to pass along the info.

Good luck with the sleeping. My husband has insomnia as well. This may be a silly question, but have you tried diphenhydramine? It's OTC. I imagine you've probably tried everything you can without a scrip, considering you're going to the doc soon. Poor thing.

Just remember, you don't really rest when your sleep is alcohol-induced. You can end up with the same sort of sleep-deprivation psychosis as if you'd not closed your eyes at all. Not to mention the bad effects on your health.

Listen to me, getting all motherly. Just ignore me!

[tropes.livejournal.com]

@______________________________________@

[veenstra168.livejournal.com]

When I had problems sleeping with the Lexapro (think 3 days and less than 10 hours of sleep) I was told to take some melatonin. Apparently it helps you fall asleep. I wouldn't know, since I was totally broke and couldn't afford to buy it. It's OTC as well, so you might consider that, if you're really desperate.

Love you&hope you feel better.