If you could drink and then take a drug to sober up in seconds would you? This may not be as far-fetched as it sounds because scientists at the American tertiary institute, MIT, are working on developing such a drug. The scientists are attempting to produce the drug that will sober people up within seconds of popping the pill and may be a solution to alcohol related misconduct and violence.
According to the scientists a concoction of alcohol metabolising enzymes quickly reduce blood alcohol levels in mice that were fed alcohol. Although humans systems are different to mice, the results could be equated to human drinking and sobering up.
Read about the research below, a post taken from www.dailymail.co.uk
I’ll drink to that! New ‘alcohol busting’ drug that sobers you up in seconds being developed by MIT scientists
Party animals could soon be able to sober up in an instant just by popping a pill.
Researchers have developed a cocktail of alcohol metabolizing enzymes that speedily reduces blood alcohol levels in drunk mice.
The treatment, which has been compared to having ‘millions of liver cells inside your stomach,’ could have far-reaching implications for drinkers.
Yunfeng Lu, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCLA, and Cheng Ji, a professor of biochemical and molecular biology at the University of Southern California injected the intoxicated mice with nanocapsules containing two enzymes.
One of the enzymes, Oxidase, comes with an unfortunate by-product of hydrogen peroxide, which can be harmful.
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The drunken mice were injected with nanocapsules containing 2 enzymes. The drunk mice received an injection of the solution and sobered up much quicker than those that didn’t get the enzyme treatment. The breakthrough is still in its early stages and the pill is not ready to be tested on humans.
The pill would work like having millions of liver cell units inside your stomach or in your intestine, helping you to digest alcohol according to researchers.
In the meantime the best option is to drink in moderation and if you plan on driving don’t drink at all because we could be years away from a breakthrough in this medication.
People who work in licenced venues need to ensure that they do not serve alcohol to patrons that are already unduly intoxicated because this is what is contributing to the exorbitant numbers of alcohol fuelled violent crime and misconduct plaguing many entertainment districts across Oz.
One of the most important considerations for workers in the alcohol sales and service industries is that they undergo Responsible Service of Alcohol training. Staff members no longer need to undergo traditional face-to-face training, the course is available online, to be completed any time of day from the convenience of your home or office.
Some of the problems associated with underage drinking include teenage drink driving, teenage pregnancy and teenage violence. Perhaps the most serious and common danger associated with drinking in general is the amount of people that get behind the wheel while intoxicated. One day medical advancements such as the sobering up pill may help to reduce the number of drink driving crashes however in the meantime RSA staff must remember their training and drinkers need to take responsibility of their drinking habit and never get behind the wheel after drinking.
Peter Cutforth is a Director at Urban E-Learning, a global elearning, OH&S training, and web strategy firm based in Little Edward St. Spring Hill, Brisbane, Australia. Urban E-Learning provides compliance related online , Distance and Face-to-Face training products in the construction, hospitality and heavy vehicle transport sectors, to name a few. Examples include the White Card Construction induction course and the RSA - Responsible Service of Alcohol course. Peter's interests extend to training, safety and compliance, online marketing, and Mobile Apps.
