3 ms·

We already have GBL

ericskiff 10mo ago
For anyone taking this comment seriously, please research and understand the potential long term impacts of GBL before going near it. It's neurotoxic and can cause brainfog and lowered cognitive ability. It's also lethal in the wrong dose, with a tiny margin for error. It's by no means a safe alcohol replacement
- zoklet-enjoyer 10mo ago
  Yeah so basically the same thing as alcohol
- awakeasleep 10mo ago
  Your response feels like a gut-level averse reaction, not an actual weighing of the harms against alcohol, which is about the most harmful drug ever for every system in your body, and also has a relatively small margin between lethality and and recreational doses.
  - kergonath 10mo ago
    > which is about the most harmful drug ever for every system in your body I am not saying that alcohol is good for you or anything, but that is not even wrong. It’s trivial to find drugs that kill you or nuke your liver if you get a few milligrams. > also has a relatively small margin between lethality and and recreational doses. Unless by "recreational dose" you mean a whole bottle of 40% ABV spirits, not really. And even then. IIRC the lethal dose is around 7g/kg, which is more than a pint of pure ethanol for someone weighting 70kg, or twice the amount of alcohol in the bottle. This is not a particularly small margin of error, particularly considering that the hypotheses were conservative. It is possible to kill oneself with alcohol. It is nowhere near the dose commonly taken for recreative purposes.
jeffbee 10mo ago
What a weird thing to say. There are many CNS depressants.
- zoklet-enjoyer 10mo ago
  >GABA, which is part of the brain’s natural calming system, is strongly affected by alcohol. Scientists think this is the mechanism by which drinking can reduce stress and anxiety. GABA Labs, a firm based near London, is trying to develop a flavourless substance called Alcarelle that has a similar effect. Trials to show that it is safe could take years. But if they are successful, the firm will be able to market Alcarelle to drinks makers as a way to create soft drinks that mimic the buzzy feeling of booze, with none of the downside. We already have GBL. It's semi-legal and feels like a long lasting ethanol. I tried it a couple times and thought it was boring. But yeah, we have plenty of alcohol alternatives already. Etizolam seltzers could be a thing.
  - jeffbee 10mo ago
    I guess my point was that you could have been huffing volatile coal tar derivatives since the 19th century, but that fact has not displaced alcohol.
esperent 10mo ago
So I just looked this up. It's a prodrug for GHB, which is a notoriously dangerous drug. It's about the same danger as alcohol... Except that because it's taken as a powder, it's much easier to overdose. And it's also extremely dangerous to take with alcohol. A better alternative to alcohol this isn't.

We already have GBL

For anyone taking this comment seriously, please research and understand the potential long term impacts of GBL before going near it. It's neurotoxic and can cause brainfog and lowered cognitive ability. It's also lethal in the wrong dose, with a tiny margin for error. It's by no means a safe alcohol replacement

zoklet-enjoyer 10mo ago
Yeah so basically the same thing as alcohol
awakeasleep 10mo ago
Your response feels like a gut-level averse reaction, not an actual weighing of the harms against alcohol, which is about the most harmful drug ever for every system in your body, and also has a relatively small margin between lethality and and recreational doses.
- kergonath 10mo ago
  > which is about the most harmful drug ever for every system in your body I am not saying that alcohol is good for you or anything, but that is not even wrong. It’s trivial to find drugs that kill you or nuke your liver if you get a few milligrams. > also has a relatively small margin between lethality and and recreational doses. Unless by "recreational dose" you mean a whole bottle of 40% ABV spirits, not really. And even then. IIRC the lethal dose is around 7g/kg, which is more than a pint of pure ethanol for someone weighting 70kg, or twice the amount of alcohol in the bottle. This is not a particularly small margin of error, particularly considering that the hypotheses were conservative. It is possible to kill oneself with alcohol. It is nowhere near the dose commonly taken for recreative purposes.

jeffbee 10mo ago

What a weird thing to say. There are many CNS depressants.

zoklet-enjoyer 10mo ago
>GABA, which is part of the brain’s natural calming system, is strongly affected by alcohol. Scientists think this is the mechanism by which drinking can reduce stress and anxiety. GABA Labs, a firm based near London, is trying to develop a flavourless substance called Alcarelle that has a similar effect. Trials to show that it is safe could take years. But if they are successful, the firm will be able to market Alcarelle to drinks makers as a way to create soft drinks that mimic the buzzy feeling of booze, with none of the downside. We already have GBL. It's semi-legal and feels like a long lasting ethanol. I tried it a couple times and thought it was boring. But yeah, we have plenty of alcohol alternatives already. Etizolam seltzers could be a thing.
- jeffbee 10mo ago
  I guess my point was that you could have been huffing volatile coal tar derivatives since the 19th century, but that fact has not displaced alcohol.

esperent 10mo ago

So I just looked this up. It's a prodrug for GHB, which is a notoriously dangerous drug. It's about the same danger as alcohol... Except that because it's taken as a powder, it's much easier to overdose. And it's also extremely dangerous to take with alcohol. A better alternative to alcohol this isn't.