How to Avoid Tainted Alcohol When You Travel
Do you know tainted alcohol is one of the major causes of fatalities at famous tourist destinations across the globe? Yes, you read it right. Here is an article with tips on how to avoid alcohol when you travel.
The main point of vacation for most people is that it should be worry-free. Nevertheless, while traveling, it is important to keep safety in mind. You might be aware of the common issues while traveling like pickpocketing, theft, and scam artists in crowded tourist areas.
However, there are certain potentially fatal troubles that are beyond pickpocketing like consuming tainted alcohol. Yes, you read it right. Tainted alcohol has been associated with a number of fatalities in famous tourist destinations across the globe.
What is Tainted Alcohol?
Tainted alcohol, also known as a counterfeit, bootleg, or unregulated alcohol, is a liquor that is produced illegally using different methods with the intent of reducing production cost and maximizing profit.
Tainted alcohol usually refers to the one that is laced with methanol. Counterfeit or unregulated alcoholic drinks can contain methanol, and this chemical is responsible for a wide range of fatalities on tourist destinations. Methanol is toxic even if it is consumed in small doses.
Methanol usually occurs during the distillation; however in legally produced alcohol, it is separated from ethanol during the process of distillation; therefore, legally produced alcohol is safe.
The problem mainly occurs when alcohol is produced illegally. In illegal breweries, methanol is sometimes used as a substitute for ethanol, in order to reduce production cost. This illegally produced alcohol can often be found in hotels, bars, and restaurants.
In many restaurants and bars, bootleggers might put the tainted alcohol in genuine bottles with labels of famous alcohol brands to maximize profit; therefore, you should be careful while consuming alcohol.
How to Avoid Tainted Alcohol?
There are no failproof tips to avoid tainted alcohol. However, here are some tips that you should keep in mind while traveling.
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Properly Research the Places You are Planning to Visit
It is always advisable to research and learn something about the places you are planning to visit. In order to get an idea of the place, you can read the reviews of the travelers. It will help you in getting information about drinking and food in the area.
You can read online reviews in order to see if customers have complained about the food or alcohol-related issues at the restaurant, hotel, or bar that you are planning to visit.
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Purchase Alcohol from the Airport
It is quite difficult to sell tainted alcohol at the airport shops. It is much likely to sneak tainted alcohol bottles in bars, hotels, and restaurants.
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Avoid Cheap Alcohol
Sometimes, you might find it a good idea to buy alcohol at a low price. However, in most cases, cheap alcohol is illegally produced, and there are higher possibilities that it is tainted alcohol.
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Mind the Taste
While traveling, stick to the liquor brand you are familiar with. If you are aware of the taste of the drink, then you are much likely to recognize if it has a different taste. If you find a different taste, then avoid drinking it.
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Prefer Canned Drinks
It is better to buy canned or bottled drinks in order to reduce the risk of consuming bootleg or tainted alcohol.
In case, after having a drink, you feel strange, then it is better to seek medical help immediately. If you are at some hotel or bar, then go to a nearby hospital in order to avoid consequences.
