Poisoned Again

[ZZZ]

I used to prefer spirits from beer but in Pattaya drinking spirits can be very dangerous. Several times I have had terrible hangovers, lasting for days, after only 1-2 gin tonics.

Sometimes you can even tell by the taste of the spirit that it's bad.

Are the bar owners buying these cheap spirits to make a few bath more or are they unknowingly getting these from the suppliers?

Hard to believe that bar owners don't get any feedback about this so they can change supplier if they unknowingly are getting this poison. It's not really in their interest to poison the costumers or have the cosumers drinking beer when shorts go down quicker for a better profit.

Anyone knows whats going on, is there a bootleg spirits racket in Pattaya?

[MisterFingers]

A terrible hangover for days after 2 gin and tonics?

Maybe you're alergic to alcohol or a certain ingredient.

Or maybe you're dehydrating yourself.

Try drinking lots of water before, after, and even while you're drinking at the bar.

I have a bit of a problem with alcohol dehydrating me too.

If you see a guy with a glass of water beside his beer, it might be me.

[Buckwheat]

Call me the next time you go out....buy me the drink of your choosing and I'll drink it for you to ensure it's quality stuff.

[Mighty Mouse]

Hard to believe that bar owners don't get any feedback about this so they can change supplier if they unknowingly are getting this poison.

What feedback did you give the bar owner?

[ZZZ]

I know the problem is not with me as I know it has happened with others. Also, whenever it happened with me it happened to my drinking buddies who had the same kind of drink in the same bar.

It has never happened in any other countries, in Asia or outside. It has happened a few times in Bangkok but not as frequent.

Thanks Buckwheat for the offer testing my drinks but unless you are a connoisseur extraordinaire you may not always be able to tell the difference, until it’s too late.

To tell the truth I have not given any feedback myself, not nice to be known as a trouble maker and Pattaya is not the best place to make enemies. Having said that, most bars have a website with an email address so one way to inform the bar owners would be to send them an email. This way the good bar owners could have a look at the problem.

[Digger]

I work on the assumption that all spirits in Gogo's are copies and for the most part beer bars. I dont know of any gogo bar that sells only genuine spirits - they all have the real stuff, but you have to make clear you wont accept a copy and even then send it back repeatedly when its wrong. Having said that, I have for the most part given up trying and just drink bottled beer when I go out these days.

[libya 115]

I am 100% certain that many bars, decant cheap spirits into 'branded' bottles. I would never believe that a Gordons Gin from a Gordons bottle is in fact Gordans: probably a cheap bottle of local gin at 15% of the price of the Gordons.

However, even the cheap gin, should not poison you. This is Thailand, not Kenya or India, and there is little sense in bar managers poisoning customers with methanol, or isopropyl alcohols.

Even the cheap spirits have only trace concentrations of these harmful 'fusel oils'.

I suggest that you are probably getting bad ice, or bacterial infected glasses or possibly infected bottles of mixers. Rodents climb on bottles and urinate on to them at night.

[mrbojangles]

I suggest that you are probably getting bad ice, or bacterial infected glasses or possibly infected bottles of mixers. Rodents climb on bottles and urinate on to them at night.

Sounds very plausable to me, libya.

And the other point about spirits. I can categorically confirm that many (not all) bars, top up "labelled" bottles of spirits with immitations.

[Donz]

Are you sure your not just a 1 drink wonder??

[Pattaya_Fox]

I used to prefer spirits from beer but in Pattaya drinking spirits can be very dangerous. Several times I have had terrible hangovers, lasting for days, after only 1-2 gin tonics.

Sometimes you can even tell by the taste of the spirit that it's bad.

Are the bar owners buying these cheap spirits to make a few bath more or are they unknowingly getting these from the suppliers?

Hard to believe that bar owners don't get any feedback about this so they can change supplier if they unknowingly are getting this poison. It's not really in their interest to poison the costumers or have the cosumers drinking beer when shorts go down quicker for a better profit.

Anyone knows whats going on, is there a bootleg spirits racket in Pattaya?

Well I`ve drunk many different spirits and beers in hundreds of bars over many years in Pattaya and never had this problem. Yes I`ve been pi**ed on occasions, but the only time I get a headache is if I over indulge and mix a variety of drinks.

A couple of G & T`s should not cause this problem even if it`s local jungle juice.

There again some of us can take more than others. Why don`t you try beer instead?

[ZZZ]

I don’t think this can be blamed on bad ice, the peanuts or other things as that would only give you the shits. This is chemical poisoning, severe hangover, like I never have had outside Thailand.

As I normally stick to beer here in Thailand it has normally only happened when someone else have ordered a round of spirits, usually I have only had 1-2 during an evening. Outside Thailand I only drink spirits without any problems.

I have seen “decanting” going on in several bars but don’t care about that, even a cheap brand will never give that kind of hangover after drinking just 1-2 drinks.

Don’t think bar owners would risk this kind of thing as the gains would not justify the risk of persecution for poisoning and the possible loss of business. Luckily there have been no instances, yet, like the ones you read about on the sub-continent where regularly hundreds of people die from illicit spirits.

More likely this is done by whoever is responsible for keeping the bar supplied with spirits. A few thousands extra a day in the pocket could tempt a lot of people.

[Noel]

To tell the truth I have not given any feedback myself, not nice to be known as a trouble maker and Pattaya is not the best place to make enemies. Having said that, most bars have a website with an email address so one way to inform the bar owners would be to send them an email. This way the good bar owners could have a look at the problem.

So when you are served a crap meal, do you pay the bill, leave a decent tip and then slag off the restaurant later through the anonymity of the Internet?

Making a genuine enquiry is hardly being a trouble maker; owners may well be grateful you brought it to their attention.

If you get a negative or aggressive reaction, then your suspicions were probably well-founded.

To limp away and then bleat on this forum places you firmly in gutless wonder territory, in the style of a man in immediate need of a testicular 'grow-bag'...

[britmaveric]

Interesting never had a hang over on Patters. Stick with Chang and tequila. Oh forgot there was that one nite and the bottle of JWalker. Still no hangover.

Edited August 31, 2006 by britmaveric

[Gary A]

Yeah, I'm sorry too but I think it is bullshit. Never have I seen fit to blame spirit drinks for making me sick. Years ago I used to be sick for the first 3 days in Thailand and finally found out that it was because I was stupid on the flight over, Dehydration was the culprit. My doctor told me to drink at least a liter of water every four hours then I could drink all the booze I wanted on the flight. I NEVER had a problem after that.

[libya 115]

Don't forget if the bar was selling poisonous liquor; you would not be the only victim, and hospital admissions would be quick to notice methanol poisoning in several persons.

Treatment for methanol poisoning is in fact intravenous ethanol.

I suggest that you take a note of the bars where you are poisoned and avoid any re-visits.

Plus; some innocuous medications can cause very unpleasant side-effects when mixed with wine and spirits. Do you eat Durian? Durian when eaten before consumption of spirits can be very unpleasant, sometimes fatal. Some antibiotics react badly with wine and spirits.

Also, if you drink spirits when your body is already dehydrated (you might not always know that you are dehydrated) and the ethanol cannot be converted into harmless acetate by body enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase: then a build up of the very toxic acetaldehyde can occur: this acetaldehyde causes a hellish hangover.

So: always ensure that you are fully hydrated before drinking alcohol.

[ZZZ]

To tell the truth I have not given any feedback myself, not nice to be known as a trouble maker and Pattaya is not the best place to make enemies. Having said that, most bars have a website with an email address so one way to inform the bar owners would be to send them an email. This way the good bar owners could have a look at the problem.

So when you are served a crap meal, do you pay the bill, leave a decent tip and then slag off the restaurant later through the anonymity of the Internet?

Making a genuine enquiry is hardly being a trouble maker; owners may well be grateful you brought it to their attention.

If you get a negative or aggressive reaction, then your suspicions were probably well-founded.

To limp away and then bleat on this forum places you firmly in gutless wonder territory, in the style of a man in immediate need of a testicular 'grow-bag'...

I probably left a decent tip as this condition, like food poisoning does not kick in until the next day.

I have also not slagged off any bar in particular on contrarily I have said that it’s probably an individual in some bars causing this problem, unknowing to the bar owners.

I have seen some bar owners, or their hired help, behave in a less than humane manner towards “trouble makers”, that’s why I did not include my name and picture in this post. Having said that, most bar owners are gentlemen eager to serve their costumers, but there are exceptions.

Anyway, as now one else on TV seems to have had this problem I guess it’s my problem and leave it as that and stick to beer.

[Oleg_Rus]

Friend was blind for 30 hrs after drinking Chivas in Jomtien, three years ago.

Not a big surprise, considering that helping people die is a good deed in bu***sm, more often they die - sooner achieve nirvana, kinda frequent flyer programm

[N47HAN]

aM i tHe OnLY Guy tHat drInKS TeTLeys Tea ?

[Thaddeus]

aM i tHe OnLY Guy tHat drInKS TeTLeys Tea ?

I doubt it (they would go out of business ) .... but you do appear to have a bad case of Parkinson's.

[gharknes]

I used to prefer spirits from beer but in Pattaya drinking spirits can be very dangerous. Several times I have had terrible hangovers, lasting for days, after only 1-2 gin tonics.

Sometimes you can even tell by the taste of the spirit that it's bad.

Are the bar owners buying these cheap spirits to make a few bath more or are they unknowingly getting these from the suppliers?

Hard to believe that bar owners don't get any feedback about this so they can change supplier if they unknowingly are getting this poison. It's not really in their interest to poison the costumers or have the cosumers drinking beer when shorts go down quicker for a better profit.

Anyone knows whats going on, is there a bootleg spirits racket in Pattaya?

I'd be interested to know the symptoms of your hangover, what are you actually suffering from ?

[Patex]

"This isn't Jim Beam!"

[Noel]

To tell the truth I have not given any feedback myself, not nice to be known as a trouble maker and Pattaya is not the best place to make enemies. Having said that, most bars have a website with an email address so one way to inform the bar owners would be to send them an email. This way the good bar owners could have a look at the problem.

So when you are served a crap meal, do you pay the bill, leave a decent tip and then slag off the restaurant later through the anonymity of the Internet?

Making a genuine enquiry is hardly being a trouble maker; owners may well be grateful you brought it to their attention.

If you get a negative or aggressive reaction, then your suspicions were probably well-founded.

To limp away and then bleat on this forum places you firmly in gutless wonder territory, in the style of a man in immediate need of a testicular 'grow-bag'...

I probably left a decent tip as this condition, like food poisoning does not kick in until the next day.

I have also not slagged off any bar in particular on contrarily I have said that it’s probably an individual in some bars causing this problem, unknowing to the bar owners.

I have seen some bar owners, or their hired help, behave in a less than humane manner towards “trouble makers”, that’s why I did not include my name and picture in this post. Having said that, most bar owners are gentlemen eager to serve their costumers, but there are exceptions.

Anyway, as now one else on TV seems to have had this problem I guess it’s my problem and leave it as that and stick to beer.

If what you are saying is true, just name the bar. I have no reason to doubt you.

I should imagine tracking down 'ZZZ' would be a tad tricky, so you can rest easy.

Give me the name and I will go in myself, check it out and confront the owner if need be.

Up to you...

[wilko]

A friend of mine (a bar owner) and I spent some time closely examining a bottle of Red Label! the reason being that it tasted strange.

Now this wasn't the first time this has happened. It's my main tipple and a seldom mix drinks in one night...I don't smoke and drink it with water, so if there is a variation in taste I'm instantly aware of it.

We eliminated the water as a factor and then tried to see any difference in the bottle. It was bought with a seal and had just been opened for me. In the end we found nothing obvious but we didn't have another bottle handy to compare it with. I suspect if we had we would have noticed differences in label tint/color or something like that. In short this looked like Red Label, the bottle felt like Red Label but no way did it taste like it was Red Label.

As a foot note it might be worth bearing in mind that in England where I used to drink only one brand of bottled beer, the landlord of my local could never explain why once in a while I would get a duff bottle of my favorite brew until he received a memo from the brewery telling him not to store GREEN bottles in Ultra violet light - e.g. daylight or UV lit fridges, as it altered the flavor of the beer.

[h5n1]

of course they are mixing/swapping spirits - and charging criminal prices as well!

the man stated he drink two TWO G/T ... he doesnt need a lecture

[wilko]

of course they are mixing/swapping spirits - and charging criminal prices as well!

the man stated he drink two TWO G/T ... he doesnt need a lecture

Who are you addressing?