Alcoholic rats' boozing slashed by mutant superpower drug

Scientists based in Chile and Colorado have carried out astonishing research which appears to offer a cure for that scourge of modern society - alcoholism in rats. In a paper to be published in the January edition of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Yedy Israel of the Universidad de Chile and Richard Deitrich of …

[Senor Beavis]

Common symptoms

"nausea, facial redness and a pounding heart"

When drinking vodka, I exhibit all three symptoms. Presumably they're feeding the rats vodka in quantity to put them off drinking more alcohol?

[Jamie Peterson]

Waste of time?

As a potential therapy this would seem to be a total waste of time. There's already been a drug available for 40 years which does exactly the same thing - Disulfiram (Antabuse) - and it's not effective at changing behaviour anyway.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20051101/1775.html

[Sampler]

Human trials

Where do I sign up to be in the control group :D

[Chris Johnson]

Familiar symptoms

Sounds like a complicated way of achieving the same metabolic effect as an Antabuse implant.

[Keith T]

@Sampler

So, you just want to get thoroughly 'Rat arsed'.

[leslie]

One for the road

Brings a whole new meaning to the term getting rat arsed.............

[Bruce]

ethanal wind that blows....

liver () {

AlcoholDehydrogenase(substrate) {

if (substrate == alcohol)

return acetaldehyde;

}

AldehydeDehydrogenase(substrate) {

if (substrate == acetaldehyde)

return acetic acid;

}

}

In heavy drinkers (this means you) the first function is a lot more efficient than the second, leading to a build up of acetaldehyde in the body when alcohol is consumed.

One way in which alcohol can become addictive is thought to be because acetaldehyde interacts with some neurotransmitters so as to mimic the effects of endorphins or opiates on the reward pathways of the brain, thus inducing a positive mood.

The boffins are suggesting that with his Aldehyde Dehydrogenase completely disabled by the drug, the hardened boozer would get his 'aldehyde high' from half a shandy, and thus not go on to consume the three bottles of vodka that would usually be required.

[Dr. Mouse]

Excellent!

I have been looking for a way to stop the rats from knicking my beer!

Could someone call me a cab?

[Stevo]

Realistic Test?

Were the rats able to smoke in their cages or did they have to run out into the freezing cold rain and snow every twenty minutes for a fag?

I've not even taken my coat off.

[Anonymous Coward]

more

cant they just give us more aldehyde dehydrogenase-2

then we can drink more.

[Tony Barnes]

But isn't acetaldehyde...

...more dangerous to the body than ethanol..??

Sounds like a crap idea.

Instead, you should find a way of releasing frigging boatloads of the different alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes into them, such that when they drank booze their body cleared it too quick to get drunk.

This could also double up as a "shit, I really need to drive home, but am too pissed" pill.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Bruce

Hence "all piss & vinegar" ?

[Robert Moore]

They MUST be stopped!

This will ruin the weekend plans of many IT professionals. (Including mine)

Can you imagine the carnage it the BOFH couldn't have a good pissup from time to time?

Why isn't there a beer icon?

[Morely Dotes]

@ Dr. Mouse

You're a cab.

Happy now?

[Anonymous Coward]

OFFS

More bullshit research for assholes.

[david]

Stay s-faced for 3 days.

Because it interferes with the breakdown process. Or is that only an urban myth? I know that people with this condition get drunk a lot faster, but I'm not sure about the recovery period.

[Brian]

THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!!!

With the drinking proclivities of the rats effectively curtailed...and the humans being able to swear off alcohol through metabolic response....that makes for a glut of spirits on the market!

Which, in turn, drives the price down....

Which, in turn, would lure people to buy more....

Which would lead to, presumably, more alcohol consumption................err...wait a minute....

I feel dizzy...it is either the double vodka with the vodka chaser...or my carefully crafted circular logic.

[Fred]

but...

Wouldnt this kill the cash cow for dear old mr broon???

man that took along time to write, think ive ad too much....

Cant find coat, stuff it, im off.