Scientist Creates a No Hangover Substitute for Alcohol

A scientist at London’s Imperial College reports that he has developed a product that mirrors alcohol in its ability to give drinkers a feeling of euphoria but without that nasty hangover when the alcohol substitute is followed by a special chaser. Professor David Nutt said that he had been using himself as the test subject for his revolutionary alcohol substitute beverage. He said his major motivation was to offer people a surrogate for alcohol that enables them to feel as relaxed and uninhibited as drinking authentic alcoholic drinks does but without such side effects as hangover headaches and feelings of aggression.

“It sounds like science fiction but these ambitions are well within the grasp of modern neuroscience,” Professor Nutt wrote.

“The great advantage of this scientific approach to intoxication is that if we target compounds that affect the Gaba system, then it is possible to produce other drugs that could be sold alongside the alcohol substitute as an antidote.”

The key to Nutt’s research was uncovering the five compounds in alcohol which affect the neurotransmitter section of the human brain responsible for responding when alcohol is consumed. He has not yet moved on to test his alcohol substitute and chaser on real live subjects other than himself. Nutt also reports that to date he has not been successful at finding an alcohol manufacturer willing to produce his substitute but is hopeful that a “no hangover” alcohol product will eventually have enough of a demand from serious drinkers that his substitute for traditional alcohol will be commercially produced.

Alcohol is both one of the oldest and most dangerous drugs, responsible for about 2.5 million deaths worldwide, which is more than malaria or Aids. T

On The Web:
Alcohol Substitute Promises All the Buzz, None of the Hangover
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/11/12/alcohol-substitute-promises-all-the-buzz-none-of-the-hangover/