You’re hung up on GABA, but it has little to do with alcohol other than being part of the physiology of physical dependence. LD50 for benzos is already “really

You’re hung up on GABA, but it has little to do with alcohol other than being part of the physiology of physical dependence. LD50 for benzos is already “really high” - that is not an issue. Alcohol affects other neurotransmitter pathways other than GABA. That isn’t even the one responsible for the psychological dependence. So a GABA-A agonist with a high LD50 exists in multiple (benzos), but it’s not an alcohol substitute. There is a reason why these medications are used for acute withdrawal, but are not used for treating dependence. Also, being addicted to benzos is far more debilitating than the “vaping” equivalent - this has been well studied since they had their heyday in the 70s. They’re quite harmful for chronic use except in very limited circumstances. Maybe synthahol might be a thing - I mean you’re probably closer with something like ecstasy - but a GABA agonist isn’t it.