In short. Methanol is an industrial spirit that is mixed into home-made alcohol (miras oplosan) to make it "hit" harder; according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health 10 ml can permanently damage eyesight, and 30 ml are fatal. Buy drinks in factory bottles with the CUKAI MMEA excise stamp in supermarkets and licensed shops, check the product in the BPOM register, and do not take alcohol without a label, poured from a container by street sellers, or suspiciously cheap cocktails, and do not drink what strangers offer you. Symptoms: in the first hours weakness, headache, nausea and stomach pain, for up to 6 hours the person looks drunk, then vision clouds over and breathing becomes hard. With these signs go straight to a hospital with 24-hour reception (112 or 119): treatment is only there, you cannot "sleep it off", and everyone who drank from the same bottle goes to a doctor.
What methanol is. Methanol, also called methyl or wood alcohol, is an industrial spirit used in fuel, solvents and windscreen cleaners. According to the article by the Indonesian Ministry of Health it is far more poisonous than ordinary drinking alcohol (ethanol). It has no colour, and by taste and smell in a drink you cannot tell it apart.
How it gets into drinks. In another Ministry of Health article it says that methanol is mixed into alcohol so that the drink "hits" harder. This is how miras oplosan, a home-made mixture, comes about. The Ministry also writes there about cases in Bali and nearby: in Bangli, after arak to which methanol was supposedly added, 27 people were affected and three died, and an Australian citizen died in Seminyak. The main risk is in liquor of unknown origin whose content nobody has checked.
How much it takes to be poisoned. According to the Ministry, 10 ml of pure methanol can permanently damage the optic nerve, and 30 ml are potentially fatal. That is roughly a tablespoon and a shot. In a cocktail made from unknown spirit it is easy to drink such a dose without noticing.
How to choose alcohol.
- Buy drinks in factory bottles in supermarkets and licensed shops. The bottle should carry the Bea Cukai excise stamp (pita cukai) with the words CUKAI MMEA.
- You can check a product's registration on the BPOM Cek Produk website, the state register of food products and medicines in Indonesia.
- Do not take alcohol without a label, in plastic bottles, poured from a container by street sellers or in suspiciously cheap bars. Under Bali Governor's Regulation No. 1 of 2020, arak, tuak and brem may not be sold from street vendors' stalls, near temples, schools, government offices and hospitals, and producers and sellers must hold permits.
- Order arak cocktails where you can see which bottle is poured from. If a "bucket" or a cocktail costs much less than everywhere around, it is better to say no.
- Do not drink what unknown people offer you, and do not leave your glass unattended.
Symptoms of poisoning. The Ministry describes them like this. In the first hours: weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness. For up to 6 hours after drinking the person looks drunk, and there may be no smell of alcohol. After 6–24 hours vision problems appear: spots, blurring, up to blindness, as well as frequent heavy breathing, confusion, convulsions and coma. The Ministry notes separately that methanol mixed with ordinary alcohol shows later, so a person may feel ill only the next day.
What to do.
- If after alcohol your vision clouds over, you have trouble breathing, your stomach hurts badly or vomiting does not stop, take the person straight to a hospital with 24-hour reception. The Ministry writes plainly: with such symptoms after alcohol, go to hospital immediately.
- You can call an ambulance on 112 or 119, all the numbers are collected in the guide to emergency numbers. Hospitals by area are in the separate guide.
- Tell the doctor what and where you drank, and how many hours have passed. If a bottle is left, take it with you.
- Do not expect the person to "sleep it off". The treatment the Ministry writes about (ethanol or the drug fomepizole, often dialysis) is given only in hospital under the control of tests. You cannot treat yourself at home with another dose of alcohol, this is our conclusion from the fact that doctors choose the dose.
- If a group drank from one bottle, everyone goes to a doctor, even those who feel fine for now.
Insurance. Read the exclusions section of your policy: there may be a separate clause about cases connected with alcohol. How medical insurance for Bali works and what to look for in it is covered in the guide to health insurance.
What this means for you. Drink only factory-made alcohol with an excise stamp from shops and trusted venues, and keep away from home-made arak sold by hand and cheap cocktails of unclear origin. Remember that methanol poisoning first looks like an ordinary hangover. If your vision gets worse or breathing is hard after drinking, go to hospital straight away, even in the middle of the night. Save the numbers 112 and 119 in your phone in advance.