DOSE:

4 shots

oral

Absinthe

(liquid)

BODY WEIGHT:

165 lb

To keep this account as short as possible, let me provide a very brief premise: Following the end of my highschool career, I traveled throughout Europe with four friends. We went as far east as Prague, The largest city in the Czech Republic. At the time we were completely ignorant with regard to absinthe and really any drugs beyond the classic American staples, alcohol and marijuana. At the time we were under the impression that absinthe was a hallucinagen (which it definitely is not) and were disatisfied with the effects of the few shots of alcohol laden absinthe we had during a night of drinking.

Eventually we decided to purchase a bottle (we could not find a non-alcoholic version such as the 'tea' we had heard about from fellow travellers) and lock ourselves in our hostel room to see what happenned. the following is an account of my experience:

SETTING
typical of a European hostel, our room was an odd collection of old beds, tables, and office furniture. Had absinthe had any hallucinagenic qualities, I shudder to imagine the effects of the unpleasant environment. However, as absinthe is a very mild drug, the environment is of little consequence. As far as mindset or preparation, one must realise how completely ignorant we were of what exactly we were doing.

DOSAGE
The liquid, which was uniformly dark green and reeked of black licorice, was drank in shotglass increments (with some difficulty as a result of the uniquely bitter flavor). I, wanting to 'get it over with', consumed four shots in less than a ten minute period and sat in a desk chair awaiting results.

THE 'EXPERIENCE'
At the time of the 'experiment' we formed a concensus that the effect of the absinthe was simply that you felt 'messed up' but really not drunk. Now that I am slightly more educated on the subject, I will try to elaborate on that useless statement.

Within a few minutes of the first shot I began to feel effects which I can only describe as feeling drunk, yet somehow accutely aware of everything transpiring in my presence and not really truly impaired. We began talking heatedly, yet not at all angrily or abrasively as we usually did in passionate arguments. However, a half hour later, we were noticeably impaired by the alcohol, the effects of which I need not get into. Having said that, I cannot stress enough the prevailing feeling that I was not drunk, and that my mood was something other then it would be were that the case. The best example I can give is that I didn't feel confident and agressive, as i may after four shots of tequila, but rather just plain happy and enjoying myself.

NOTE: By saying that I felt 'happy' I am not implying any sort of euphoria or revalation as is associated with other drugs. Generally, as far as my experience goes, absinthe is a subtle drug whose effects are not comporable to anything else I have done, but for reason of comparrison, less noticeable then the high I get from a joint of my local outdoor marijuana cultivators finest. In fact, if you're looking to 'get messed up' I wouldn't reccommend absinthe at all.

Exp Year: 2001	ExpID: 10950
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 18
Published: Feb 7, 2003	Views: 29,067
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Absinthe (4) : Small Group (2-9) (17), Retrospective / Summary (11), General (1)