New drug may keep you sober no matter how much you've had to drink

Imagine a pill that could instantly sober you up no matter how much
you've had to drink, or a hangover cure that worked minutes after
swallowing it. Hardened drinkers rejoice: researchers are about to begin
human trials on an "alcohol antidote" that may soon offer a cure to
alcoholism, reports New Scientist.

The drug is a chemical called dihydromyricetin, or DHM, and is derived
from a Chinese variety of the oriental raisin tree, which has been used
for at least 500 years in China as an effective hangover cure. So far
the extract has only been tested on boozing rats, but with promising
results.

"DHM will reduce the degree of drunkenness for the amount of alcohol
drunk and will definitely reduce the hangover symptoms," said Jing
Liang, lead researcher in the study. "In time, it will reduce [an
alcoholic's] desire for alcohol."

Liang first tested how well DHM alleviated drunken rats' clumsiness and
loss of coordination by measuring how long it took them to right
themselves after being laid on their backs. Rats were injected with an
alcohol equivalent of a human drinking 15 to 20 beers in two hours to
ensure that they were sufficiently wasted. As one would expect, it took
the rats about 70 minutes just to get back up on their feet. After a
milligram of DHM (per kilogram of rat body weight) was added to the
mixture, however, the rats were able to right themselves in just five
minutes.

The rats were next tested within a maze to see how well DHM neutralized
hangover symptoms. Rats with a hangover typically react by cowering away
in the corners of a maze, seemingly lacking motivation to seek an
endpoint. But once those rats were given an appropriate dosage of DHM,
their inquisitiveness was revived and they reacted just as rats that
were given no alcohol at all.

Lastly, Liang tested whether DHM could cure alcohol addiction in rats.
Boozy rodents were given a choice of drinking a sweetened solution of
alcohol or sweetened water. Over a period of three months with DHM
treatment, rats drank only a quarter the amount of alcohol that rats
given no treatment drank.

Provided that the drug works as effectively in humans as it does in
rats, DHM could be a breakthrough in the fight against alcoholism. But
some researchers are concerned that it could eventually lead to more
drinking rather than less. For instance, development of a similar
compound called Ro15-4513 was abandoned several years ago due in part to
such concerns.

"There was a lot of philosophical worry that an 'alcohol antidote' would
entice people to consume alcohol and then count on being able to
terminate the intoxicating effects on demand," said Markus Heilig,
clinical director of the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism.

It's certainly easy to imagine how such a drug could be abused. Drinkers
could become intoxicated, then take a pill when it comes time to drive
themselves home. Hangovers would also no longer be a deterrent to
imbibing. But for those struggling to overcome an alcohol addiction —
not to mention the 2.5 million people who are estimated to die every
year due to alcoholism — the drug could be a godsend and well
worth the
risks.

Source

nice son

"It's certainly easy to imagine how such a drug could be abused. Drinkers
could become intoxicated, then take a pill when it comes time to drive
themselves home."

uhhh, what the fuck is wrong with that? It's a perfect way to decrease the amount of deaths that result from drunk driving... people that abuse alcohol are goning to do so regardless of whether or not this pill exists, they already do it every day.

41OMaXiMuS wrote:"It's certainly easy to imagine how such a drug could be abused. Drinkers
could become intoxicated, then take a pill when it comes time to drive
themselves home."

uhhh, what the fuck is wrong with that? It's a perfect way to decrease the amount of deaths that result from drunk driving... people that abuse alcohol are goning to do so regardless of whether or not this pill exists, they already do it every day.

Exactly what I was thinking lol.

sign me up, i love drinking!