Science cures Alcoholics by giving them my affliction

[Eos]

I am one of the lucky people who lack the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme and therefore cannot metabolize alcohol at all. Now science has found a way to inflict that condition on people for 6 months at a time as "therapy". Yay me! I'm therapeutic.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681344/a...coholics-sober

The vaccine builds on what happens naturally in certain people--about 20% of the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean population--with an alcohol intolerance mutation. Normally, the liver breaks down alcohol into an enzyme that’s transformed into the compound acetaldehyde (responsible for that nasty hangover feeling), which in turn is degraded by another enzyme. The acetaldehyde doesn’t usually have time to build up before it’s broken down. But people with the alcohol intolerance mutation lack the ability to produce that second enzyme; acetaldehyde accumulates, and they feel terrible.

Asenjo and his colleagues have come up with a way to stop the synthesis of that second enzyme via a vaccine, mimicking the mutation that sometimes happens naturally. "People have this mutation all over the world. It’s like how some people can’t drink milk," explains Asenjo.

[Takebacker]

Woah awesome. Go science. And eos :D

[Razmos]

That's really cool, it would definitely be a lot more effective than simple therapy. removing the reason they drink in the first place would definitely make them able to live without it.

[Curtiss]

That is incredible.

[Flonne]

If it is voluntary only, I'm all for it, but if it were forced onto someone, that's too much like big brother saying "you can't drink so we are going to make it so you don't even have the option", to me.

[Eos]

If it is voluntary only, I'm all for it, but if it were forced onto someone, that's too much like big brother saying "you can't drink so we are going to make it so you don't even have the option", to me.

What if certain religions mandated it as a part of their belief system as a means to protect their flock from temptation?

[Razmos]

If it is voluntary only, I'm all for it, but if it were forced onto someone, that's too much like big brother saying "you can't drink so we are going to make it so you don't even have the option", to me.

I doubt they'd force it on people, all said and done it's, what, an injection at the very least? they would definitely need consent for that.
Even with this breakthrough, there would still need to be interventions, some therapy and then they would get the option to do so. 6 months of going cold turkey could destroy some people.

I think anyone that is willing to consent to the treatment deserves to get clean, because it wouldn't be an easy thing to do.

[Curtiss]

I doubt they'd force it on people, all said and done it's, what, an injection at the very least? they would definitely need consent for that.
Even with this breakthrough, there would still need to be interventions, some therapy and then they would get the option to do so. 6 months of going cold turkey could destroy some people.

I think anyone that is willing to consent to the treatment deserves to get clean, because it wouldn't be an easy thing to do.

Exactly, it's already said to be a drastic treatment which means subjecting unwilling patients could cause adverse effects beyond what any consenting patient would feel. Also, this wouldn't be enough to get them off the habit once it's over so there therapy and counselling may still need to be used and there's nearly no point in making someone go if they didn't ask to be cured, destructive as their habit might be.

[Maping]

inb4 Westboro hating on this.

Seriously though, this is really cool. Mankind, solving alcoholism by giving vbe a disease (technically a medical condition, by my way sounds cooler).

[DustinxD]

That's pretty awesome; it's great news for a ton of people.

[Flonne]

What if certain religions mandated it as a part of their belief system as a means to protect their flock from temptation?

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing I'm afraid of with this.

[Maping]

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing I'm afraid of with this.

Well, if people are choosing that religion (not going to get into people being forced into a religion), then most of the time, they would agree with the religion's policy on alcohol. It's the leaders mandating it, sure, but only so the people don't break the rules of their own religion. If some way of preventing people from being able to kill was offered, most Catholics would use it even without the Pope ordering it.

[Razmos]

Would organized religion even have access to this stuff though?
You'd think the state and medical laws would keep this stuff for the people who needed it, not for the people who aren't alcoholics by choice.

I'm pretty sure the idea of a religion forcing it on people is kinda moot. What other religions force medicine on people? o.o

[VerrKol]

I think at this point the hypothetical religion is the problem, not the scientific treatment method.

This seems like it could be a really great tool.

[Eos]

Would organized religion even have access to this stuff though?
You'd think the state and medical laws would keep this stuff for the people who needed it, not for the people who aren't alcoholics by choice.

If corporations can have mandatory drug screenings and flu vaccinations I'm sure a church could find a way to get their people vaccination against alcoholism in the same way.

It would not surprise me to find some companies making this a condition of employment even, it's one step better than drug screening because it actually prevents one entire avenue of intoxication for jobs like pilots and doctors where you're not supposed to be drinking while on call anyway and can seriously endanger people by doing so.

[Five Second Pose]

What if certain religions mandated it as a part of their belief system as a means to protect their flock from temptation?

Even if I wasn't religious, the concept of alcohol doesn't seem fun at all to me.

[Maping]

Even if I wasn't religious, the concept of alcohol doesn't seem fun at all to me.

I agree. I doubt I will ever drink (much), if only because I know what being drunk can cause, let alone alcoholism.

[Takebacker]

I agree. I doubt I will ever drink (much), if only because I know what being drunk can cause, let alone alcoholism.

Beer can be delicious. All i'm going to say.

[happylight]

They should work on the reverse of this. Make a drug so people can drink more and not get sick.

[MariettaRC]

Beer can be delicious. All i'm going to say.

I'm more of a fruity/mixed drinker myself. Though I haven't had beer ever since I was curious enough to try some when I was like 8. But you will never see me drink more than once a month at most...

On topic, this is a pretty neat discovery. Hangovers SUCK, and this definitely gives people a reason to not drink.

They should work on the reverse of this. Make a drug so people can drink more and not get sick.

Now how would that be helpful in any way?