Alcohol substitute promises no hangover

Scientist says ‘alcosynths’ can also boost public health

Thanks to science, it may soon be possible to overindulge without feeling the effects the next morning.

A British scientist and longtime drug researcher has developed an alcohol substitute that still gives imbibers that sought-after buzz without the unsavory side effects of a hangover the next day. More importantly, at least from a public-health perspective, the substitute could also reduce instances of alcoholism and eliminate the damage that alcohol toxins have on bodily organs. Oh, and it doesn’t have calories. Cheers! Alcarelle is the brainchild of David Nutt, a neuro-psychopharmacology professor at Imperial College London and former adviser on substance abuse to the U.K. government. It’s the brand name for a pair of alcohol substitutes that contain chemical compounds, which Nutt calls “alcosynths,” that mimic the fun of alcohol without the consequences.

Alcarelle has not undergone a regulatory or scientific peer review, Nutt said.

Nutt has pursued patents for roughly 90 chemical compounds that have the effect of knocking a couple back, and two of those lab creations have already been tested in humans.

They could come to a bar near you if his newly formed company, also called Alcarelle, can raise the money needed to bring it to market, he said. The substitute would be sold as a liquid and added to your favourite cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage in lieu of vodka, rum, gin or other libations.

The various compounds that Nutt has developed work in one of two ways. Some replicate the direct effects of alcohol, specifically affecting the area of the brain that makes you feel loose but not the area that makes you fall-down drunk. Others mimic the indirect effects of alcohol, altering your serotonin or dopamine levels so that you might feel happier or more energetic.

Researchers can also engineer the chemical compounds so that their effect on the brain maxes out after so many drinks, reducing the desire to drink excessively and the risk of alcohol poisoning or blacking out, he said. “My ambition would be for my grandchildren to never be exposed to alcohol,” Nutt said.

“We now have found substances that can do what alcohol does in terms of giving people a relaxing experience and social experience, but without having the downsides of anger and aggression and addiction,” Nutt added.