Alcosynth: the future of drinking?

Everyone knows that alcohol isn’t a new thing. It has defined our history, our religions and our way of life. Be it wine in France, beer in Germany, vodka in Russia or sake in Japan, many peoples have adopted alcohol as a part of their culture, their identity. Alcohol and humans go back a long way, but most people don’t know quite how long: we have been consuming alcoholic beverages since Sumerian times, i.e. the beginning of civilisation as we know it. Beer in Sumeria was as important for socialisation and bringing people together as it is today, which shows that our relationship with it is even closer than one might imagine. Throughout our long history together, we have come to know that it has both positive and negative sides: it makes us dozy, happy and tipsy, but it also causes damage to our organs and causes headaches and nausea. We all know that alcohol is a double edged sword, and that we must enjoy it carefully. But now, Imperial College professor David Nutt aims to put an end to the negative aspect of alcohol and finally turn it into the nectar of the gods men have always made it to be.

The compound developed by professor Nutt has been branded “alcosynth”, with almost a hundred different compounds synthesised and patented. Two of these are currently undergoing extensive tests for their validation for public use. Nutt and his team believe the substance will revolutionise the alcoholic beverage industry, even estimating their compounds may completely replace ordinary alcohol by 2050. If true, this would also remove the problems of drunk driving (if humans are even allowed to drive anymore by 2050), alcohol related diseases, inebriate domestic violence and productivity issues related to hangovers, among others, benefiting not only the consumer, but also society in general.

alcosynth

This apparently miraculous substance is but a clever manipulation of alcohol’s chemistry, according to professor Nutt. He says that, due to our extensive knowledge of the effect of alcohol on brain chemistry coming from over 30 years of observation and analysis, it is possible to isolate what causes good effects on our organisms and what doesn’t; with that in mind, it’s only a matter of devising a substance that only has the good effects. While alcosynth is admittedly still early in its process of being released onto the populace, Nutt has high hopes for his compounds, saying he knows the beverages industry knows alcohol will be gone by the end of the first half of the century. However, understandably so, investors are still sceptic about the validity of the substance to put too much capital into it. While alcosynth presumably is less inebriating than traditional alcohol and inoffensive to the brain and liver, the research costs are high and the promise has not been widely legitimised yet.

Some within the industry say alcosynth is unnecessary since low strength drinks already exist, and that the public conscience of moderation is increasingly responsible for less infirmities related to excessive alcohol consumption. Since the substance is still early in its development, only time may tell if it will revolutionise public health or fade into obscurity along many other so-called “visionary” projects that simply failed to be relevant enough to catch society’s attention. Meanwhile, moderation, sensibility and caution will have to do, as it has since the dawn of humanity.

5 thoughts on “Alcosynth: the future of drinking?

  1. Zachary Jacob Himel

    I recently saw a video on Facebook that promoted a device called the “vapor sphere.” This device vaporizes the alcohol instead of having to consume it. The company that produces this device is immense on the fact that people do not get hangovers! Not only is this a benefit to the device, but it also is capable of preventing DUI’s. The alcohol should be out of a person system only thirty minutes after its last use! If you want to see more on this device, or even purchase it, here is the website: https://vaporsphere.us

  2. Peter Bott

    What really intrigues me about this topic is the antitode to sober up immediately. Alcosynth isn’t the only futuristic alcoholic beverage making headlines. Researchers in Phoenix have recently developed alcohol in a powdered form. “Palcohol” was made available to purchase in the Summer of 2015. A one ounce packet of alcohol is equivalent to one alcoholic drink. In its short life palcohol has already been banned in 25 states, over the fear that people would likely abuse the powder by trying to snort it or making extremely concentrated drinks. It will be interesting to see how new forms of alcohol emerge over time as technology and research improves.

  3. Alexis Paige

    If this actually comes to fruition, this would be a revolutionary product. Although as another comment said, it does seem too good to be true. Another thought would be how costly this product would be. Would it be easy to access? Another thought would be how exactly did they modify the alcohol and how much safer is it actually? I would be all for it if it actually came out as drunk driving is a real problem. Just last night walking around, I watched a scene of a drunk man driving in a really nice car (which turned out not to be his), stalling and almost jumping a curb where pedestrians like myself were walking. Luckily, his friends dragged him out of the car and called the cops but things like this don’t always have a happy ending. Hopefully something like this coming out would be put to good use!

  4. Isaac Chandler Orndorff

    This “miracle drink” seems far too good to be true. Alcohol is, like you said, part of every culture in the world. It seems far-fetched that this drink could sober you up instantly. However, if it is true, obviously those in the industry will say it’s not necessary because they know it will probably overcome their business rather quickly. However, I won’t believe this is real until I see evidence that supports it through studies. Otherwise, it seems like another great idea that will never come to fruition.

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