Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones were both teenagers who went on a vacation abroad and decided to partake in alcohol. However, that decision unfortunately proved deadly.

Keep reading to know more.

Many travellers will attest that the price of alcoholic beverages can vary greatly depending on where they are travelling. However, this can be at the cost of quality. In some cases, the drink can be adulterated with methanol, which is an easy way to increase profits by cutting costs; however, it can also prove to be deadly.

Holly’s parents are now raising the alarm after their daughter went to Laos. In an interview with Australia’s 60 Minutes, they said that travelers should ‘remove this country from their bucket list,’ as they thought ‘your life is worth nothing’ to people spiking drinks for profit.

Spotting the symptoms of methanol poisoning is not always easy, and if they begin in an unfamiliar and foreign place, they might be even harder to spot.

It is important to get medical attention immediately if you think you have methanol poisoning. You are at risk of blindness, coma, and the prospect of death increases by the hour.

This is due to the fact that your body begins to metabolize bootleg alcohol in just a few hours, and hence your organs flood with toxic byproducts from methanol, which cause irreversible damage.

Medical experts say that it is imperative to get medical help right away so treatment can begin. Treatment is most effective when you get help within the first 10 to 30 hours of consuming the product.

If you delay treatment beyond that, the damage can be permanent and death is a big potential risk. The tell-tale signs of methanol poisoning are incredibly important to know and recognize within yourself and others.

Symptoms to recognize

A Travel Aware campaign points out the red flags one should be on the lookout for. While they seem similar to intoxication from alcohol, there are some differences you should be on the lookout for.

1. Methanol usually makes you drunk faster than alcohol. A person experiences vomiting, a loss of balance, poor judgment, and feeling drowsy incredibly quickly after just a small amount of consumption.

2. The symptoms become worse 12 to 48 hours after the consumption, with abdominal pain, vertigo, hyperventilation, breathlessness, blurred vision and/or blindness, coma, and even convulsions.

3. Visual symptoms can differ from person to person. But blurred vision, difficulty looking at lights, tunnel vision, and other vision problems can be strong indicators of methanol poisoning.

Ways to avoid methanol poisoning

It might not always be possible to avoid drinking adulterated alcohol when traveling however, there are ways you can avoid drinking alcohol containing methanol.

1. Stick to places that have licenses to sell alcohol. Reputable and well-rated bars, hotels, and nightclubs are a safer bet than others. In Holly and Bianca’s case, the alcohol that proved deadly was allegedly served in their hostel.

2. Avoid alcohol that is not branded and sold as a homemade spirit. Only accept drinks that have sealed tops as they are less likely to have been adulterated.

3. When you buy something that is extremely cheap and served in large quantities, then it might be wiser to avoid it.

Seeking medical attention immediately allows medics to treat the symptoms and help avoid poisoning.

Doctors also give patients ethanol (pure alcohol) to flush the toxic substance out of their system, and also might give them Fomepizole to prevent the methanol from metabolizing in their body. In extreme cases, a person might have to receive dialysis.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones‘ families as they navigate this painful loss. Share this with others so they can be aware of this as well.