Right, some people may be aware that yesterday (7th of April 2001) An 18 year old died after drinking Absinthe. His mother was quoted (in the Daily Mail, 7th april 2001
"I'm in my 40's and had no idea how dangerous absinthe can be. It is such a potent drink it should be banned."
I would personally agree with this except for the details. The young man had died of alcohol poisoning, caused in part by the "yard of absinthe" he drank. For anyone who is unfamiliar, that is about two and a half English pints (twenty fluid ounces rather than the American sixteen). Absinthe is a spirit but at seventy percent proof it is approximatly two times as strong as some vodka.
I may sound heartless and cold if I say that drinking that much absinthe was a fuckwitted idea and could be tantamount to suicide. I am a reasonably sensible drinker, I will admit I am used to a higher alcohol intake than some people. I rarely have more than one shot (25 millitres) of absinthe and never with any other alcohol. Absinthe is not to blame for the death of a young man. People probably won't admit it but it was this young man's fault. By law alchol is required to have it's ABV (alcohol by volume) printed on the bottle. So, with 70% ABV somone who "was not a big drinker" should have steered clear or just had the one not the "yard"1 as claimed by the report.
Anyone who drinks absinthe should be aware it has two psychoactive ingredients, one being the alcohol and the other being wormwood. Wormwood gives the spirit its famously bitter taste, and makes it more "dangerous" than normal alcohol.
The main point I have is this is Blame Culture. I am sick and tired of hearing arguments along the lines of "It wasn't my fault it was....." Two kids kill a lot more in some school and Marylin Manson got blamed for it. Eminem has been blamed for producing a bunch of young homophobic bigots. Christ, after putting this up on the web I expect to be blamed for something.
Maybe I should start a campaign. Anyone willing to join the society for the promotion of common sense? If a child is listening to the same song over and over and over then goes out and kills someone, or themselves it is unlikely (although not impossible2) that the muscian is to blame. If someone drinks the equivalent of one and three quarter pints of pure alcohol (but of course, clearly marked) and dies it is not the alcohol that is to blame. Hell, if you are unaware as to how dangerous something is then leave it alone.
