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I am not sure I can /recommend/ it; sobriety is underrated. But a number of people have proposed GHB or perhaps a prodrug of GHB as an alcohol substitute over

by retrac 4y ago

I am not sure I can /recommend/ it; sobriety is underrated. But a number of people have proposed GHB or perhaps a prodrug of GHB as an alcohol substitute over the years (for example [1]). It acts on the same receptors in nearly the same way. (It reverses alcohol withdrawal so effectively it is used for this purpose in some countries medically.) Subjectively it feels very much like alcohol. It is probably about as addictive. But it's almost non-toxic by comparison. No liver damage. Doesn't affect nutrient absorption. Milder hangover. It'll probably never be legal for regulatory reasons. (If alcohol were introduced today, it would likely be banned. Even a relatively safer alcohol substitute runs into the problem of still being rather dangerous and so getting through the red tape.) [1] https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/135106/synthetic-alcohol-substitute-could-eliminate-health/ https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/135106/synthetic-alcohol-sub...

vsef 4y ago
GHB is a great alcohol substitute in many ways but also has an extremely unforgiving dose response curve with doses that can't be safely eyeballed and that build up in unpredictable ways over successive dosings. The lethal to effective dose ratio is worse than for alcohol, with doses that are much smaller and easier to accidentally ingest. Almost all regular users will have overshot the mark and knocked themselves out at some point, the edge for this level of mild overdose is much lower and sharper than for alcohol. It is safer than alcohol in terms of properly dosed effects, but it has many safety drawbacks in terms of using safely in public social settings the way alcohol is used. It's not just regulatory difficulties with it as an alcohol substitute.
dzhiurgis 4y ago
If you are struggling with insomnia after coming off alcohol - try valerian sleeping pills. They work similar to GHB or alcohol.

by retrac 4y ago

vsef 4y ago

GHB is a great alcohol substitute in many ways but also has an extremely unforgiving dose response curve with doses that can't be safely eyeballed and that build up in unpredictable ways over successive dosings. The lethal to effective dose ratio is worse than for alcohol, with doses that are much smaller and easier to accidentally ingest. Almost all regular users will have overshot the mark and knocked themselves out at some point, the edge for this level of mild overdose is much lower and sharper than for alcohol. It is safer than alcohol in terms of properly dosed effects, but it has many safety drawbacks in terms of using safely in public social settings the way alcohol is used. It's not just regulatory difficulties with it as an alcohol substitute.

dzhiurgis 4y ago

If you are struggling with insomnia after coming off alcohol - try valerian sleeping pills. They work similar to GHB or alcohol.