A former deputy Prime Minister was taken to hospital after he downed a traditional sipping drink.
Michael McCormack once held the role in Australia and was offered some sakau recently while on a diplomatic tour.
The traditional drink is a type of ‘Kava’ which is created using the root of a pepper plant.
It contains no alcohol or drugs, but has a narcotic effect which can reduce anxiety and numb pain.
He said he was ‘just trying to be respectful’ when he took an entire shell of sakau.
It led him to feel sick before he went 'cross-eyed' and was rushed to hospital.
Guests are invited to drink all of the Kava in South Pacific areas of Australia.
But in Micronesia, where Mr McCormack was on a diplomatic tour, it is much stronger and should be be sipped and passed to the next person according to order of importance.
Mr McCormack told The Guardian he had drank five shells of Java, Vauatu a day earlier and did not think it would different.
He said: “I was trying to be respectful – I really took one for team Australia.
“They made it in front of us, squeezing the juice out of these massive tree roots, just absolutely squeezing it. It had a peppery essence and I was ok for about 10 to 15 minutes and then I thought ‘Ooooh, OK!"
He caught foreign minister Penny Wong's eye and managed to communicate ‘I’m not ok’ before he went cross-eyed.
After grabbing a bucket, he was taken to hospital with others rubbed his back.
He received treatment for dehydration and after going to the the Australian Ambassador’s house for a rest. Mr McCormackis then reported to have slept for 14 hours.
He said: “I haven’t slept like that in my entire parliamentary career. I don’t think I have slept like that since I was a teenager.”
The former deputy PM missed the final part of his trip while recovering.
Australia has had reported public incidents over alcohol among some public figures.
Kurtley Beale of the Wallabies rugby side opened issues that saw him get into a drunk fight with his own teammates.
The veteran player entered rehab before the British and Irish Lions tour in 2013 as his alcohol problems got out of control.
The versatile playmaker has been capped 95 times by Australia and his adventurous domestic career has taken him to northern hemisphere sides Wasps and Racing 92.
But Beale reached a personal low before the Lions tour after an alcohol-fuelled scrap with Melbourne Rebels team-mates Gareth Delve and Cooper Vuna.
The ugly incident followed a humiliating 64-7 defeat for the Rebels against the Sharks in South Africa.
Beale is said to have come to blows with the duo after confronting captain Delve, who asked him to put a shirt on when arriving at the team hotel after the match.
