UK scientists have created synthetic alcohol which could become available to the public in the next five years.
As an alternative to ethanol, the core ingredient of most alcoholic drinks, the synthetic alcohol Alcarelle was created by a team led by neuropsycho pharmacology expert Professor David Nutt. If approved by regulators, it would allow people to feel the buzz of being a bit drunk without the health implications, loss of control or hangovers.
Speaking about the recent breakthrough Prof Nutt explained: “We want to keep the pleasure, but not the pain, essentially. You don’t get the physiological changes that ethanol does from Alcarelle, I’ve tried and tested it myself.”
Read more: HSE outline key steps to helping choking children after two toddler deaths
The professor, who also owns a bar with his daughter, is still a big fan of alcohol. He added: “We’ve developed the compound so that no matter how much Alcarelle you have in a drink, you won’t get wasted, just tipsy. It’s like having two or so glasses of wine.”
He went on to explain that since Alcarelle is a small molecule, people wouldn’t need much of it to feel the effect when it’s mixed into a drink, it clears from the body within hours and it doesn’t metabolise in the liver like alcohol. Hence, the lack of side-effects.
“I’m not suggesting we do away with alcohol in place of this,” he said, “or that it’s a replacement. It’s about giving people a choice other than abstinence and alcohol. Currently, people only have two choices: to drink or not to drink, but this could give people the sociability they want from alcohol without them having to drink.
“But there will be people who start off with a couple of Alcarelle cocktails and break that tension you first get at a bar or a party, and that’ll be enough for some people. Others might alternate; then they might have a glass of wine after that, or a spirit at the end of the evening.
“Maybe someone wants to enjoy a social event, but also has a job interview the next morning. But as things are now, there’s no choice like that.”
Alcarelle is yet to be tested or approved by regulators in the US or Europe, but Prof Nutt has expressed hopes for his creation to become available to the public in the next five years. Currently, only Prof Nutt and his team have tried Alcarelle due to it’s lack of regulation.
Whether Alcarelle gets approved or not, one thing is certain - getting rid of social anxiety when meeting up with people without getting drunk and embarrassing yourself sounds pretty neat.
Read next:
Baby handed in to gardai after being found alone in buggy in Dublin
Netflix clamping down on sharing passwords with major change coming
EPIC museum hosts family friendly events for St Brigid's Day
How to have a blast on Valentine’s Day if you’re single in Dublin
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
