New drug may keep you sober no matter how much you've had to drink
Chinese tree extract has long been used as a hangover cure. Now it is being turned into a 'sobriety pill' that could cure alcoholism.
DRINK UP: It won't make any difference. (Photo: The Shopping Sherpa/Flickr) 
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I smoke and drink almost daily and have found a way to avoid hang overs and be sober. Don't drink and smoke. There's a reason a little feels good and a lot feels bad.
one step at a time, perhaps this is not the cure for alcoholism but nevertheless a possible solution to drunk driving and fatal accidents due to drunk driving.
anyone that thinks this might be a cure for alcoholism does not understand the sickness itself
I would like to know how this IRB was approved. The equivalent of 15-20 beers in 2 hours is potentially lethal in an adult human, why would they allow this level of alcohol to be used in testing on rats.
It seems so excessive, I question the entire study.
It's great that the pill will sober you up and all, but what does it do about the remaining toxic effects of alcohol on your system, like liver damage? My guess is: probably not a lot. Your body still has to detoxify and remove all that alcohol, even if your brain is working more or less normally. I'd be concerned if this were made readily available, although it certainly sounds promising for use in some circumstances under controlled use.
Isn't this the same drug that is made from bear bile?
Over a period of three months with DHM treatment, rats drank only a quarter the amount of alcohol that rats given no treatment drank.THIS IS THE BREAK THROUGH FACT : IF TRUE THEN PEOPLE SUFFERING MAY HAVE FOUND MEDICAL HELP FOR THE DISEASE OF ALCOHOLISM
Yeah, what is wrong with having a pill that would sober you up after you have had too much to drink? Fewer drunk driving accidents and fatalities. People will drink whether the pill is available or not, why not make it available so we can have fewer alcohol related deaths.
I think it would be wrong in the eyes of "Markus Heilig, clinical director of the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism" because he would then be out of a job. Let these people tell you that the only cure for alcoholism is their way and they still get the funds for their research.
Why let the public use something that would help with disease and reduce the amount of drunk driving accidents(?).. because all the scientists in the field of addictions research and all the.... More
FTA: "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."
How's that abuse? Wouldn't more sober drivers be a good thing?
Becuase the government makes alot of money on DUI's...
I don't imagine the drug has any effect on the other damage alcohol consumption causes, notably liver damage. Your brain might be working, but other bodily systems are still sustaining heavy damage - quite possibly even more than before, since the most immediate ill effects are negated and even greater consumption is possible.
I may have skipped over it but I didn't see that it repairs the liver and other affects caused by the drinking.
This is a terrible idea, all it will do is make people drink more to get drunk, increasing their blood alcohol levels to toxicity, thereby killing them....I guess in a way this could work to cure something the same way a shotgun to the head can "cure" any aliment or disease.
The only cure for alcoholism is abstinence, one day at a time.
A lot of people are commenting on what people "might" do with this drug, as justification for not bringing it to market. What happened to personal responsibility? You could also say that many medicines should be banned because people "might" misuse them.
This drug may well be a boon to help alcoholics stop drinking OVER TIME (yes, it will take more than one night), but if some other idiot chooses to misuse it then that is not justification for not allowing anyone to benefit.
Whether it requires 70 minutes or 5 minutes to exit the vehicle after being asked to do so by a cop; that's still DUI.
I find the "drunken rats" experiment disturbing. That's just cruel to intoxicate those helpless creatures, put them on their backs, and see how long it takes them to get up. There must be a better way to test new drugs!
I'll do it!
I'll do it!
How do you think potential drug candidates are tested? They must be proven safe in rats before they will start testing in humans. Do you suggest they bypass rat testing and just start testing in humans? Do you know how many humans would then be subject to severe side effects or even death? Trust me, the world is over-populated with rats and I would certainly want to have new drugs tested on rats to see how they react prior to testing in humans.
Someone said people would take it to sober up before driving home. What's wrong with that?
"Used for 500 years"
I think this line should get rid of everyone's concerns.
I can imagine the only thing this drug can do, is cause death, alcoholic poisoning. After taking the pill, people will drink more because they will still want to feel drunk. People will keep drinking until their heart stops.
What scares me is that someone could use it at a bar or party as a way to stay sober, but appear to be drinking as much as everyone else. Twould be an ultimate armament for a serial rapist.
"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."
In what world is having the scientific possibility of greatly reducing drunk driving (or the epic hangover) a "risk" that is to be suffered?
No alcoholic will want a pill to make them feel sober. They chose to feel drunk. They will end up drinking more alcohol to feel the drunken state.they're looking for. If they take the drug that will lessen the effects, they will end up drinking themselves to death. It's not going to work the way people think it will.
sounds like an episode of "Shameless".
I think this miracle remedy has already been discovered. It's called Cocaine!
great, now how am i going to convince a girl to sleep with me if she's not intoxicated.
signed,
unattractive guy
As a bartender I am gonna try my hardest to find away around this!
The pill might stymie the physical symptoms, but it will not stop a dependence or addiction from developing. Dependence will develop faster if the drinking experience is all good, no bad with this pill. Skip the liquid courage and find some real courage instead.
If it has been used for 500 years in China why are they testing RATS?
A pill that straightens me up after smoking a spliff. Would i take it? I dont think so.
Also, why use rats, surely it's fairer to use convicted drink drivers as lab rats.
So theoretically, it will sober a human up after a night of drinking but if used during, then would a person unknowingly subject himself or herself to alcohol poisoning and/or potentially drink himself or herself to death?
U are absolutely right Chris. I don't think people are looking at this the right way. They may be wishing it would work in the way they want, but it won't work that way. People will take the tablet, & then end up drinking more because they will still want to feel the drunken state, they will end up with alcohol poisoning, or depression of their body until their heart stops.
As promising as this sounds, the article did not quite address other issues that alcohol causes, nor is there any way just yet of knowing long-term side effects. This should be concerning and, though it may very well be a wonderful solution, I think we must be first critical.
men should take this pill before they decided to cheat on you at a bar with the excuse that they were hammered!!
if this pill cures whiskey-dick thats also a huge plus. cutting down drunk driving would be a huge help though, assuming it actually dilutes your blood alcohol content.
Way to give the government more control over our lives and give idiots excuses to drive with under the influence. Hopefully turns out to be useless
My first thought is how many people might take this in an attempt to be able to drink more. If you don't feel how much you've had to drink, you might get blindsided by alcohol poisoning.
Yeah, just because its not making you drunk doesn't mean having 5% BAC wont kill you.
