The Irish are well-known for their love of a drink or two on a night out, but as we get older, the hangovers start to worsen from tiredness and aches to migraines, nausea and even vertigo in some cases.
Well, according to UK scientists, a solution could be on the way into the Irish market in a matter of years and would allow people to have that last glass of wine or pint of beer without experiencing any hangover.
The new molecular compound, which has been named Alcarelle, was created by a UK team led by Imperial College London’s neuropsycho pharmacology expert, Professor David Nutt.
READ MORE: HSE outline four key steps to helping your child if they start choking
According to the team behind this ‘synthetic alcohol,’ it is currently with regulators awaiting approval and, if it does in fact get the go-ahead, it will soon be available to customers across the globe.
It will be aimed at people who enjoy the feeling you get from drinking as well as the relaxation it offers without the nasty health implications, loss of control or hangovers.
Speaking about the recent breakthrough, Prof Nutt said: “Alcohol has the huge benefit of helping us socialise as humans” but “alcohol mimics a chemical called GABA which is produced in the brain.
“We now know there are 15 subtypes of GABA receptor present in lots of different parts of the brain and that alcohol will bind to all of them and cause lots of side-effects.”
He went on to say that: “With our synthetic alcohol, we’ve been targeting the receptors in the parts of the brain which regulate how you feel and how you interact and how you socialise.”
Prof Nutt explained that his new molecular compound has the ability to choose the “useful” GABA receptors which cause tipsiness.
They are therefore able to avoid selecting the other receptors which cause headaches, memory impairment, aggression or longer term liver problems.
“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,” he said.
It is understood that Alcarelle has yet to be tested or approved by regulators in the US and Europe, but Professor Nutt says he is very hopeful.
He even suggested that it may be available to the public in the next five years if things go to plan.
At this point, the only people who have tried Alcarelle is Nutt and his team due to it’s lack of regulation.
Nutt’s company, GABA Labs, has since started selling a drink named Sentia that is made using plant extracts that allegedly bring on the feeling of tipsiness by using botanicals.
READ NEXT:
Dee Devlin's public display of affection as McGregor denies assault allegation
Man in his 30s dead after horror crash on Irish road as car hits wall
Dermot Bannon says the 'real side to celebs' personalities come out on his shows
HSE outlines four key steps to helping your child if they start choking after two tragedies
Met Eireann confirms dry end to week before things 'take turn' for some counties
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
