cocaine dissolved in wine

Slightly sideways - check if coca cola was around and still had cocaine in it. Just in terms of making sure that your character doesn't have "no tolerance" but is drinking coca cola in a different scene.

Your character would blab continuously, then order a second bottle. He might have a sense of his own gregariousness and power, somewhat out of kilter with the perceptions of those around of him.

'Blah bla bleh blergh, me me, me me me...'

'Uhuh, umm, ya.'

'Blech, bleugh, blim blim.'

...

CHAPTER 2

Bolero said:

Slightly sideways - check if coca cola was around and still had cocaine in it. Just in terms of making sure that your character doesn't have "no tolerance" but is drinking coca cola in a different scene.

Click to expand...

Coca cola hit the market in 1886.

I suspect that Matchu is about right.

I'm going to have to disagree just a tad. Cocaine and alcohol (ethanol) when simultaneously imbibed are combined and broken down in the human liver to form cocaethylene, which is a rare "triple reuptake inhibitor" - a SNDRI - meaning it affects how the brain handles serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. It produces a profound euphoria in addition to the stimulant and anesthesia effects.

Since every person's brain is different, and every person has different levels of those three neurotransmitters working in their brains at any given time, how significantly the wine affects your character is completely in your hands. Just as some people can get tipsy from one drink and others can imbibe several glasses without "feeling" the alcohol buzz, when you add cocaine to the mix and create such a potent chemical as cocaethylene, you could have a character who after one drink dances on table tops or who becomes utterly despondent.

Just some more info to consider. Neuroscience is a hobby of mine.

Sounds like an interesting idea, regardless.

Be Well ~
Tux

Another potential note, alkaloids are considerably bitter. Granted, wine can be as well, but I'm wondering if 7.2 mg/oz would be concentrated enough to affect the taste?

Also, I recall learning in my undergrad that cocaine can be used medicinally as a numbing agent, its usefulness stemming from its interesting ability to function as a vasoconstrictor as well. Therefore, aside from the desired effects from a cocaine high, I'd imagine it would make the tongue and mouth tingly as well as may impede the mechanical aspects of speech as Matchu described.

Happy writing

You can infer it's effects by how it was marketed and what people used it for. One ad I saw claimed it was perfect for "Overworked men, delicate women, and sickly children." A lot of testimonials came from people who used it to stay awake longer or for an extra boost of vitality. Obviously euphoria and increased energy were the main effects. It also "strengthened the nervous system and improved respiration and digestion". I get the impression it was something stronger than coffee, but not quite a full-on cocaine rush.

Of course it all depends how much of it is being downed. I'm not sure how it was marketed in Europe, but in the US it was definitely more of a medicine than a recreational wine (though I'm sure plenty of people used it recreationally). The recommended dosage was one wineglassful shortly before or after each meal (half a glass for kids). That was enough to feel the effects. So obviously someone overindulging would probably feel much stronger effects.