# How Safe Is Alcarelle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936 "2020-01-04T16:23:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/1 "2020-01-04T16:23:46Z")
In case you didn’t know, someone has claimed to invent an alcohol substitute with none of the deleterious side effects. In the advanced age we live in, I guess it was inevitable. [Here](https://alcarelle.com/) is the website, if you want to read more. As you can see, the inventor calls it ‘alcarelle’. And it does sound a lot like the alcohol substitute ‘synthehol’ of the fictional _Star Trek_ universe ([here](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Synthehol), if you want to read more about that). My question: Is it safe? And has it been tested? And while we’re at it, just what in the heck is it, anyways? And when will it be available in the US? And should we try it (which I guess was implied anyways, but what I just asked)? Thank you in advance for your helpful replies:). :):):):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/2 "2020-01-04T16:57:04Z")
Ethanol works by acting at a receptor; it’s not the only thing that could act at the receptor, many things could, and it seems that’s pretty much what [Alcarelle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt#Alcarelle) is. As you’ll see from the totality of the linked article, the “inventor” is a controversial figure. As for Alcarelle itself… here’s the EU definition of a medicinal product: > [@](#): > > A substance or combination of substances that is intended to treat, prevent or diagnose a disease, or to restore, correct or modify physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action. Something that gets you euphoric by acting at a receptor …I can’t see why it wouldn’t meet this definition, and therefore fall within the definition of a medicinal product and would have to be legislated as such. But as we apparently don’t know exactly what Alcarelle is, we can’t be certain. For the US I’m not an expert, but > [@](#): > > Drug substance is an active ingredient that is intended to furnish pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the human body… So my guess is the same sort of thing would apply. j PS: ethanol itself (in its recreational use) is exempted by effectively being grandfathered in. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/3 "2020-01-04T17:10:48Z")
Thinking a little further about this, I suppose there’s a discussion to be had as to how closely a safer alternative to alcohol would parallel a safer alternative to the cigarette. Certainly (in Europe) the possibility that e-cigarettes should be regulated as medicines was discussed, but in the end they were not; and my guess is that the (then) belief that they were much safer than cigarettes (and the fact that it was convenient to let the user pay directly for them) was a major consideration in their being exempted from being regulated as medicines. However, in the case of e-cigarettes, it wasn’t a new molecule; or a new use of an existing molecule; rather, a new delivery system for a molecule whose recreational use was well understood. So the parallel really isn’t that close (IMHO). j ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/4 "2020-01-04T17:51:43Z")
I looked up a couple articles on this. Both of which definitely [question](https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/everything-you-need-to-know-about-synthetic-alcohol/) the [safety](https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/everything-you-need-to-know-about-synthetic-alcohol/) of it. I think using a term implying that this is an “alcohol substitute” is misleading. It’s merely another drug that affects some of the same systems (e.g., GABA pathway) as alcohol. Lots of stuff do that. In short they want to introduce a _new_ recreational drug on the market with iffy talk about safety. Why didn’t the makers of “bath salts” think of this? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/5 "2020-01-04T19:47:34Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Both of which definitely [question](https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/everything-you-need-to-know-about-synthetic-alcohol/) the [safety](https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/everything-you-need-to-know-about-synthetic-alcohol/) of it. Those links both go to the same story. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/6 "2020-01-04T20:00:52Z")
Did anyone else think of Star Trek’s synthahol on opening this? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/7 "2020-01-04T20:17:52Z")
Considering it was mentioned in the OP, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/8 "2020-01-04T20:56:56Z")
How would it be safer? If it acts on the same receptors in the brain, aren’t the outcomes going to be the same? I guess a really big break through would be the ability to clear and block the receptors - I think that would be more along what synthehol is like. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/9 "2020-01-05T00:28:12Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Those links both go to the same story. Even fake alcohol gives you double vision. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/10 "2020-01-05T01:51:26Z")
If you want something that you can make a drink with instead of alcohol, there’s already a perfectly good molecule that’s known damn well to be safe. It won’t get you drunk, but, well, that’s the whole point. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/11 "2020-01-05T03:10:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you want something that you can make a drink with instead of alcohol, there’s already a perfectly good molecule that’s known damn well to be safe. It won’t get you drunk, but, well, that’s the whole point. What, di-hydrogen monoxide? Forget that stuff, it’s the principle component in acid rain. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/12 "2020-01-05T03:17:52Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > What, di-hydrogen monoxide? Forget that stuff, it’s the principle component in acid rain. It’ll never catch on in any big way. There’s no big money in it, and the patent expired a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/13 "2020-01-05T22:03:45Z")
Okay, okay. The other [article](https://www.thetemper.com/alcosynth-alcohol-substitute-dangerous/). Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-alcarelle/845936/15 "2020-04-11T22:04:42Z")
> [@Relax81](#): > > The new alcarelle is said to cause zero liver damage and not give you cancer (both those things are currently caused by alcohol) > > Interestingly, it will have a max dosage of approx the same feeling as 2 glasses of wine. Any further drinking just maintains that effect. No hangovers either. > > It’s exciting what science can come up with as we get better at developing and designing concepts and ideas. > > Hopefully not too much longer till this is on the market along side alcohol. Certainly don’t want real alcohol to disappear immediately or soon after this is out - perhaps 20 odd years after it’s release. I was going to suggest that you’re too gullible. Then I looked at your join date, and your user name, and realized there is probably a different reason for your post.