If we have been drinking alcohol for centuries and centuries, it is in particular because it gives us the impression of “freeing” ourselves from a shackles, and because it acts as a sort of social lubricant. . This is what reminds The Messenger articlewhich reports an initiative from the Gaba Labs laboratory: creating a substitute for alcohol, with the same social effect, without the harmful effects on the body.
So the idea is absolutely not to drink alcohol and erase the effects the next day with a magic pill. But rather enjoy the pleasant side of alcohol, while preserving the body. Because even if we are aware of the dangers of alcohol on health, drinking alcohol is a very “popular” activity, the researchers recognize. It is so well ingrained in the social dynamic that it is difficult to stop it.
A substance in the state of hypothesis
The name of this synthetic version of alcohol is Alcarelle: it would stimulate our GABA receptors like the latter, and would provide this soothing aspect often sought after in the drink. But it would prevent damage, particularly to the liver, caused by transformation of alcohol into acetaldehyde in this organ. The aim is therefore to avoid this process.
That said, at this stage, alcohol substitutes are still at the stage of hypotheses, even if the creators of Alcarelle would like to see it on the market by 2026. Especially since they would pose Other problems, as evidenced by a substance that helps stimulate GABA receptors: rohypnolused to treat sleep disorders, but also infamously known as the “rapist drug.”
Sources: HAS, The Messenger
