Today’s edition of Schoolies Gone Wild comes to you from Bali, where an Australian teen was hospitalised with a suspected cast of methanol poisoning over the weekend, after drinking a shady beverage in a nightclub.
The Sydney Morning Herald report that Newcastle teen Jackson Tuckwell (who apparently turned 18 this week – shit bit of luck there, sorry mate) was in a Legian nightclub on Sunday when he became ill.
Allegedly, he had consumed half of a drink called a Blaster, which is a concoction of vodka, “other spirits” – whatever dreck happens to be lying around – and pineapple juice. Half an hour later, he had lost his vision and motor skills.
He was carried from the club and admitted to hospital, although reports indicate that he has now made a recovery and been discharged. According to friends, he believes his drink was spiked.
The teen’s mum told the Herald that he is a seasoned Bali traveler, having been there several times before. “He knows to only drink what you can open, his father told him that and his cousins told him that.”
“But when they are all out, they obviously decide to drink some cocktails. We didn’t really want him to go to Bali for schoolies, but when all his friends are going, then what can you do?”
It is believed two other Newcastle teens have been hospitalised over the past few days with similar symptoms, although their status is not currently known.
The World Health Organisation say that methanol poisoning is extremely common in tourist settings where high alcohol consumption is encouraged, and the chemical is added to cheap, counterfeit spirit drinks.
Last year, an Australian teen was flown home from schoolies after suffering methanol poisoning at a nightclub in Kuta, although thankfully, she also made a recovery.
Photo: Agung Parameswara via Getty Images
