A scientist has cracked a chemical conundrum, which has allowed him to develop new drugs that could wean people off alcohol, while allowing them to enjoy the feeling of being “tipsy”.
The first drug, which called “alcosynth”, is a drink that mimics alcohol.
It a non-toxic inebriant that removes the risks of hangovers, liver toxicity, aggression and loss of control.
A benzodiazepine derivative, the substance is in the Valium family, but without being addictive or causing withdrawal symptoms, he claims.
The man behind this marvel is Professor David Nutt, who became famous as the drugs tsar fired by the British government in 2009 for proclaiming that horse-riding is more dangerous than ecstasy.
Now, the Imperial College neuropsychopharmacology professor is making waves with a new mission: saving us from the fatal effects of the most popular drug on earth, alcohol.
His second wonder drug is a so-called “chaperone”, which would attenuate the effects of alcohol.
Take a pill with booze, and it’s impossible to become drunk to the point of incapacitation.
The price point would be set quite high, to stop the drug from being abused, but this “sober up pill” could be popped on the way home, reducing drink-driving accidents, and other alcohol-related incidents and crime.
Both drugs would be available in high-end cocktail bars at first, claims Nutt. The alcohol substitute would be marketed as a companion to a regular tipple and relatively cheap to buy.
Twitter users responded to the prospect of avoiding hangovers by drinking alcosynth with enthusiasm.
Alcohol is one of the most harmful drugs, pound for pound, due to its impacts on obesity, violent crime, overall health, life expectancy, and economic productivity.
It ranks among the top five causes of death in all EU nations, and the Government cites it as the leading cause of premature death in men aged 16 to 54 in the UK. It shortens our lives in many ways: liver disease, a dozen forms of cancer, elevated blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, increased risk of dementia, car crashes, domestic abuse and crime.
“If alcohol was treated as a toxic compound in the same manner as benzene or other lethal chemicals, the maximum amount you would be permitted to consume would be one wine glass a year,” says Nutt. “But it is exempt from toxic control measures because we like to drink.”
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Originally Posted by Suzanimal
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