Calgary actress Ashley King is spearheading a crucial campaign to prevent others from suffering the same devastating fate that left her blind after consuming methanol-tainted alcohol during a backpacking trip to Bali in 2011. Now 33, King has initiated a petition on change.org that has already amassed more than 27,000 signatures since last summer, aiming to raise awareness about the hidden dangers of drinking in certain foreign destinations.
A Life-Altering Experience in Bali
In 2011, at just 19 years old, King was enjoying a night out at a nightclub in Kuta, Bali, when she ordered a fruity cocktail served in a reusable water bottle. "I remember drinking like a fruity cocktail mixed beverage and they were serving them in reusable water bottles so you wouldn't spill your drink while you were dancing," King recalled. "It had a lid. I didn't really think anything of it." Little did she know that this seemingly innocent drink would contain methanol, a toxic substance often found in counterfeit alcohol.
The Rapid Onset of Symptoms
After flying to Christchurch, New Zealand, via Sydney, Australia, King began to feel "really out of it" by Thursday afternoon. Upon waking in her hostel, she noticed the light appeared dim despite it being noon. "All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe and I was gasping for air," she described. Her vision rapidly deteriorated, and after being taken to a hospital, she went completely blind, retaining only 2% of her eyesight today.
Blood tests revealed high levels of methanol in her system. The treatment involved administering alcohol to prevent her body from breaking down the methanol, instead metabolizing the ethanol. "So they basically had to get me very, very, very intoxicated in the hospital," King explained. "But the drunker I got, the more I could breathe and the more I could see." She was then rushed to the ICU for a blood exchange procedure.
Advocacy Through Personal Tragedy
Doctors informed King she was lucky to be alive, as her optic nerves were likely dying. After a month of outpatient care, she returned to Calgary, where she faced the harsh reality that her vision loss was irreversible. "The best thing they can do is early intervention and try and get the methanol out of your system as soon as they can, in order to restore your eyesight," she noted. "But once the damage has already happened it's pretty irreversible."
King has channeled her experience into advocacy and art. She premiered her self-penned play, Static: A Party Girl's Memoir, last year, based on her podcast of the same name. Her petition calls for concrete actions from Canadian authorities:
- Implementing airport safety reforms
- Including warnings in airline safety announcements
- Integrating education about methanol poisoning risks into school curricula
Growing Awareness and Government Response
King's efforts come amid increasing recognition of methanol poisoning as a significant public health issue, particularly in regions with lax alcohol regulations. A 2025 report by 60 Minutes Australia highlighted multiple cases among backpackers in Laos, prompting the Canadian government to add warnings about methanol poisoning in Bali to its travel advisories—something that didn't exist when King traveled.
"Social media is so much more prevalent about the topic now," King observed. "Now I've found so many people over the years who have been poisoned." According to the World Health Organization, methanol poisoning remains a serious concern in countries where counterfeit alcohol circulates freely.
Seeking Institutional Change
King has met with WestJet's head office in Calgary, expressing optimism about their interest, though she hasn't yet received responses from Air Canada or the transport and education ministers. "I haven't heard anything from them but my hope is that with change.org, they seem to have a lot of faith in my campaign, that it can make a difference," she said.
Currently rehearsing for a new play, Lazy Susan, premiering next week at Calgary's disability theatre company Inside Out, King continues to balance her artistic career with her advocacy work. Her story underscores the urgent need for better education and preventive measures to protect travelers from similar tragedies.
