Humankind's 10 Million Year Love Affair with Booze Might End

There is that pet theory that alcohlism also converted us from nomads to agrarian societies as mead and bear are impractical to make year round while on the move.

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.

Yeah so basically the same thing as alcohol

>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.

>You're stating your opinions as fact.

So what? I have an opinion, backed up by years of being in bars and talking to people who actually like to drink. If you need a disclaimer in a comment, maybe you need to go have a drink to take the edge off.

>I think drinking for the buzz demonstrates an immaturity with alcohol consumption. One many have, but an immaturity nonetheless.

People of all ages enjoy the effects of alcohol. I don't think many would consume it if not for those effects. The people you are calling immature, would call you a goober.

I do like the taste of the high-end stuff as well. But the point is precisely to get a buzz while not suffering the bad sides of the cheap stuff.

Otherwise there are plenty of very good drinks that have no alcohol, if you want to drink for taste, there is really no need to go for alcoholic stuff.

There is a lot of snobery around the expensive stuff precisely because you need to be wealthy enough to afford it. It is just another class signifier. People drinking those things like the fact that they can get buzzed while still enjoying the taste, outside of true alcoholics, everybody prefer that but they just can't afford it.

Making good alcohol is an art form. It is a very complex process that relies on quality inputs as well as mastery of a refined recipe. It is no a trivial endeavor and this why many of the good alcohols were produced/invented by monks and priest, they were the ones with enough time and ressources on their hands to focus on this unproductive pursuit. Nowadays the lines are blurred because it is commercialised and profitable but the consumers of the good stuff are very similar to the priests of old (high status/power), they just delegated the process thanks to their power afforded by money.

I'm off booze for almost a year yet can still drink a six-pack of 0-alcohol beer every night.

It’s funny how personal it is. I really hate the taste of alcohol and don’t even tend to like food cooked with alcohol (even if it has “cooked off” it clearly leaves a taste behind).

I tried drinking for a short while but I had to almost hold my nose and swallow it as if it were medicine.

Same. There is some wine with amazing smell and taste. Unfortunately it triggers my heartburn and I don't like getting a buzz, so I have to pass.

Also my wife doesn't like the smell so if I drink,she doesn't kiss me. Everything stacked against me! Lol

I like the flavor of most cocktails, but it really isn't the alcohol that makes it taste good. There is a subtle medicinal flavor imparted by most forms of liquor but I never found myself craving that lol.

I think you're crazy, but I guess there are people who drink piss so why should I be surprised that someone likes the taste of beer?

Seriously, many people who like alcohol have told me exactly what I just said. There are tastier drinks out there if you're after flavor. Alcohol is for getting a buzz, or fitting in with people who like the buzz.

I feel the same way about black coffee. Who would drink that if not for the caffeine? Better drinks are abundant.