alcohol substitute

Ethyl alcohol is by far the most harmful drug that most people regularly consume. It is almost certainly way more harmful than many drugs that are currently illegal. It is dependence-forming and can cause death or serious injury both directly through its direct physiological effects, and indirectly through impaired decision-making. In the body it is metabolized into acetaldehyde, which is toxic, causing a range of negative health effects including inflammation and increased cancer risk. Systemic toxicity combined with dehydration and impaired sleep leads to unpleasant hangovers. And of course it is a substantial source of calories, causing weight gain (a 'beer belly') in heavy users.

Of course, people who know all this often drink alcohol anyway for its disinhibiting, pro-social, euphoric effects. It can bring people together, allow shy or anxious personalities a chance to emerge, and foster genuine connection and relationships, which are profoundly beneficial to health. Alcohol has been the social drug of choice throughout history due to its effectiveness and ease of manufacture through simple fermentation.

But modern chemistry opens up a whole world of alternative social drugs, which might match or even improve upon the positive effects of alcohol while avoiding many of the negatives. Some of these are currently illegal, and all involve their own tradeoffs, but given the huge costs associated with alcohol consumption, I think it's worth considering alternatives.

Alcohol substitutes that actually work

Caution: always do your own research before trying any novel substances! These drugs can enable a healthy alcohol-free lifestyle, but they can still be dangerous, and the dangers are different than those you're used to with alcohol. Treat them with respect. In particular, I would avoid combining either of these drugs with alcohol or with each other, as unexpectedly strong interactions can occur.

I've found two drugs that work for me as substitutes for alcohol in social settings: phenibut (currently legal in the US) and GHB (not legal). Both are GABAnergic, meaning that they act on the same inhibitory system that is thought to be responsible for many of the psychoactive effects of ethanol (warning: this is a dramatic oversimplification! the mechanisms of these drugs are not fully understood, and many other GABAnergic drugs such as benzodiazepines are not effective as social lubricants, so this is clearly not a full explanation).

Like ethanol, GHB and phenibut both tend to induce a relaxed, happy, disinhibited, and pro-social frame of mind, and mildly enhance sexual arousal. Also like ethanol, both of these drugs can be dependence-forming to a degree that is potentially dangerous, and like alcohol, overdose can lead to dizziness, vomiting, temporary coma, and (in extreme cases) death. However, unlike ethanol, both phenibut and GHB are nontoxic at typical recreational doses, cause no hangover, and tend to induce a clearer and less fuzzy state of mind.I wouldn't drive a car on a high dose of either of them, but they are less obviously incapacitating than equivalent doses of alcohol. This may be because their activity is targeted at GABA receptors, in contrast to ethanol, which also (among a thousand other effects) inhibits glutamate receptors, which may be responsible for some of the mental and physical impairment associated with drunkness. Neither is perfect, but they have complementary strengths, and used appropriately they have replaced most of my alcohol consumption with experiences that are healthier, more sustainable (I feel great the next day), and just as much (if not more) fun.

GHB is probably the closer substitute for ethanol, because it has a similar pharmacodynamic profile: the effects come on quickly and last for 1-2 hours, after which the drug is basically gone from your system. You can stay in a good place for an evening by consuming 2-3g of GHB every 90 minutes. The main 'catch' is that the dosing window is smaller than with alcohol; you need to be careful to ensure that you don't take substantially more than one dose every 90 minutes. At above 6g of GHB, just twice the typical dose, you risk falling into a temporary coma, which is neither healthy nor socially desirable. So responsible GHB use involves setting timers or watching clocks to make sure you don't re-dose too soon, which is kind of a bummer when you just want to have a chill evening.One strategy to prevent over-consumption of alcohol is to use weaker drinks, e.g., beer instead of wine or cocktails; I'm curious if a similar approach would work with GHB. You'd want a drink spiked with GHB at such a low level that you'd have to be drinking it continuously over 90 minutes to get a full dose, and such that drinking enough to overdose would be nearly impossible due to the volume of fluid involved. For me, a normal dose of GHB is about 3g, so perhaps adding 1g to a 12oz can of seltzer (or mocktail) would be about right? TODO: try this and report back.

Compared to GHB, phenibut has many of the same effects, but somewhat milder and over a much longer timeframe. It is a very 'slow' drug: it takes 2-4 hours to take effect, but then lasts for 8+ hours, so a single dose typically covers an entire day. Because it stays in your system so long, you must allow multiple days (at least 3-4 days, and preferably a week) between doses or risk developing a potentially dangerous dependence.Alcohol and GHB are similarly dependence-forming, but since they're cleared faster from the body you'd have to take them much more regularly to get into dangerous territory (which of course people do!). It's not a drug you can do on short notice, if a friend invites you after-work drink with a friend (GHB is better for this). You need to plan ahead to take it a few hours ahead of when you'll want it, and to know that you won't want it (or at least, won't take it) for a few days after that. But if you do have a preplanned social event, like a weekend party, a day at the beach, etc., then it's an easy and long-lasting way to put yourself in a relaxed pro-social mood.

Personally I tend to take phenibut about once per week, usually on a day when I have social plans, although the clear and relaxed headspace it creates is also good for solo contemplation and meditation. If plans come up on other days, I'll drink soda-with-GHB instead of an alcoholic drink. Overall, this is much better: I save money on drinks, consume fewer calories, have a great time and am never hung over. The main downside, in our current culture, is that all of this is sketchy and weird and awkward to explain, so if I'm meeting someone I don't know I'll usually still just get a beer.

The big question is if either of these (or some other GABAergic drug) could be viable as an alcohol substitute more broadly. Phenibut is wonderful, but probably requires too much planning and discipline for most people. GHB is touchier than alcohol, but maybe not impossibly so; I could see it being packaged at low concentrations in a way that allows for relatively safe use. Of course, legal and regulatory issues are likely to prevent that from happening in the forseeable future.

A few companies seem to be developing novel GABAergic drinks that they hope could be legally sold, which is an exciting direction. Proposals include:

• Alcarelle: claimed synthetic alcohol substitute in development by GABA Labs. I haven't found any sources on the actual molecule(s) involved; their patent filings don't seem to be public.
• Sentia: liquor made from GABAergic herbs, from the same creator (David Nutt) as Alcarelle. Not currently available in the US, but seems interesting?
• Deuterated ethanol: ethanol that is metabolized much more slowly, so that acetaldehyde doesn't build up (https://cen.acs.org/food/Drinking-science-Deuterated-ethanol-biochemical/99/i34)

Other substitutes that just don't do it for me

• low-dose ketamine: I've seen this recommended as disinhibitory, but I found that it just made me feel woozy, and the nasal spray irritated my nose.
• MDMA: popularized by Alex Shulgin, who called it his 'low-calorie martini', this would probably be the perfect social drug, except that it's not safe (or consistently effective) to take more than a few times per year. Eventually someone will solve this and it will change the world.