The hollyweirdos are precariously propped up on multiple crutches. This is just another one.
Posted on 09/23/2003 4:39:29 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife
A drug created by the former KGB to keep its agents sober so that they could drink opponents under the table before stealing their secrets is being sold on the internet to Hollywood stars as a defence against hangovers.
The drug, known as RU-21, is made in Russia and sold as a natural remedy on the internet. Hollywood actors are said to be fond of the fix, called after the American legal drinking age, which enables them to make the most of LA's party circuit without red eyes or pounding headaches detracting from their delivering the goods on the film set next morning.
Its makers claim that it stops the body making an enzyme which turns alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical which can damage tissues.
The pill lets you get drunk, but indefinitely delays the hangover and damage to the body's organs.
A little less convenient, the makers say that you have to take two pills before or during every two drinks - a suspicious activity in trendy watering holes.
The KGB invented the drug just after the second world war.
The secrets of the pill were declassified in 1999, and it was developed into a market commodity by scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences as part of an extended study of alcohol's effects on the body. Its makers and Californian marketeers say it is selling to the tune of $10,000 (£6,000) a week.
"Russians can out-drink anybody in the world anyway," said Emil Chiaberi, head of Spirit Sciences, which sells the pill in the US.
"I don't know why they needed a pill."
I grew up in a household where alcohol was consummed daily, but I never thought about it. I thought it was normal. Then when I got older, and didn't become that attracted to regular drinking, I realized that others might find this behavior strange, too.
To each, his own. But, as you say, I don't miss it. Again, I only drink on occasion, not even monthly for that matter.
Being married to a man who has never consummed alcohol, helps curb my desire to drink, too. It is no fun, drinking alone.
Should the need arise, I will employ the same tactic with my children! You have a wise mother!
The hollyweirdos are precariously propped up on multiple crutches. This is just another one.
Its makers claim that it stops the body making an enzyme which turns alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical which can damage tissues.
This sounds like it has positive benefits.
I'm not so sure about that... If the pill blocks the alcoholysis pathways, then, alcohol will not be processed and stick around in the body... Unless there's an alternative metabolic pathway for the alcohol to degenerate, it'll just sit around in the body (with the concomitant effects) until it's excreted.
Doesn't drinking water help a great deal, too?
Yes, if the body is slightly overhydrated, then the acetaldehyde will not be as concentrated and therefore its effects will be minimized until it's excreted.
Alcohol suppresses the hormone ADH (anti diuretic hormone). ADH prevents the body from losing fluid; suppression of this causes the body to increase fluid output via urine. That is why, when you drink a lot, you also urinate a lot. This can cause dehydration, which is why you feel so crappy the day after drinking. Drinking more water will ease the dehydration.
Stick to one thing if possible when you're drinking- ie, don't switch from beer to wine coolers to Jack and Coke.
Avoid overly sweet drinks- some berry wines and ciders will make the head split the next day.
Drink in moderation.
Drink plenty of water before going to bed and take aspirin as well.
Join the infantry- preferably the 82nd Airborne. Sometimes described as the most physically fit alcoholics in the world, they will teach you how to "drive on" even when you are hungover. Nothing like a good five mile run when you're busy puking your guts out.
You are speaking from experience?
That's what I was wondering.
The article doesn't state what happens to the alcohol -- it just states that the process is "delayed."
"Delayed" until when?
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