Could These New Drugs Stop Hangovers Forever?
Apparently, they mimic the power of booze without the side effects (except the awesome ones).
“To alcohol! The cause of – and solution to – all life’s problems.”
This immortal Homer Simpson quote distills (ha, puns!) the pure essence of alcohol. But if there’s one problem alcohol can’t solve, it’s the hangover…though actually you can delay a hangover if you keep your liver working by continuing to drink. Man, alcohol is awesome!
But now, thanks to Cool Guy Science™, you won’t even have to keep chugging to delay the inevitable – you can just prevent it all together. According to Professor David Nutt, director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Centre for Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Imperial College London, hangovers may be a thing of the past thanks to new drugs that mimic all the awesome effects of alcohol (boosted confidence, social skills, tolerance to smashing beer cans on your noggin, etc.) without the bad ones (pretty much poisoning your entire body).
See, as drugs go, alcohol is the absolute worst for your body. If you read this long-term effects of alcohol wiki, you’re not going to come across “become the awesomest dude you know” under “side effects.” Instead, fun things like “liver disease” and “stroke” and “cancer” could be in store. But if Nutt is right, new drugs that target the neurotransmitters responsible for alcohol’s euphoric abilities (and companion drugs that cancel those effects), could cause states of inebriation without all the harmful physical consequences. Including, most importantly, the hangover. Nutt has identified five different compounds that could possibly replace booze altogether. To mimic the act of drinking, the compounds would need to be dissolved in a liquid and probably mixed into a cocktail. He makes the fair comparison to e-cigarettes, as it’s as much the ritual of the act that attracts people as it is the physical results. Getting these compounds to taste like the finest aged whisky that’s been brewed by some guy who probably has a sick beard? Well, that’s another problem all together.
Hmmm…what’s the solution to all problems again?
Photos by Photo: Martin Carlsson/ Getty Images | Licensed to Alpha Media Group 2013
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