HOOCH

About: 

• Alcohol: Alcoholic beverages are made by fermentation of sugary and starchy substances, followed by distillation to increase alcohol concentration. The active ingredient in them is ethyl alcohol or ethanol. 
  
  
• Illicit liquor (Hooch): 
  • Any alcoholic beverage made under unlicensed conditions is called illicit liquor. Usually sub-standard raw material is used, often this is spiked with other chemicals. 
    
    
  • The term hooch is a popular slang for illicit liquor. The origin of the term hooch is said to come from the Hoochinoo Indians of Alaska. 
    
    
  
  
  
• What makes it poisonous?  
  • Under unregulated conditions, methanol or methyl alcohol can be produced with the desired ethanol. 
    
    
  • Sometimes, industrial methyl alcohol or denatured spirit (mixture of ethanol and methanol) is added by illicit brewers to save costs and in mistaken belief that it’ll increase potency. 
    
    
  • Methyl alcohol is extremely toxic — 10 ml can cause blindness and 30 ml can cause death within 10 to 30 hours. It is like ethyl alcohol in taste and smell. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Treatment: 
  • Ethyl alcohol and fomepizole are used as antidotes, inhibiting metabolizing of methyl alcohol so that it passes through urine. 
    
    
  • Advanced treatment requires haemodialysis to remove toxic substances from bloodstream.