Christmas has come early this year, alcohol lovers! You could soon be able to pour that extra cocktail and skip the dreaded morning-after hangover.
A professor at the Imperial College London has invented a nontoxic, synthetic alcohol that he hopes will eliminate hangovers by 2050, according to the Independent.
The drink, called “alcosynth” is supposed to deliver the fun parts of drinking without causing all the aftereffects, like dry mouth, headaches and nausea. Moreover, the effects of alcosynth max out at four or five drinks, making it impossible to become too drunk, the professor said.
“It will be there alongside the scotch and the gin, they'll dispense the alcosynth into your cocktail and then you'll have the pleasure without damaging your liver and your heart,” the professor, David Nutt, told the Independent.
Nutt said he patented 90 alcosynth compounds and is testing two of them for widespread use. Funding and regulatory hurdles could mean it'll be a while before consumers can buy the drink.
A hangover-free world would mean big benefits for public health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol consumption results in an average of 88,000 deaths each year, making it the fourth-leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.
And a hangover comes with a huge economic cost: Excessive drinking cost the U.S. $249 billion in 2010, according to the CDC.
