Would you like to know about Alternatives To Drinking Alcohol?
Recently I saw a report that described a team of medical researchers who were working on one of the synthetic alternatives to drinking alcohol. The team, currently led by Professor David Nutt, of the Imperial College London, is working on the man made product known as “alcosynth”.
What is “alcosynth”?
As I understand the report, it describes a process similar to the way that tobacco, cigars and cigarettes are being replaced with electronic cigarettes. Professor Nutt believes that alcosynth will become widely accepted as one of the viable alternatives to drinking alcohol. The vision is for alcosynth to replace the harmful component of alcohol. This replacement is intended to provide the same pleasant sensations as alcohol, but without the intoxication and negative health impacts. Can you imagine healthy alternatives to drinking alcohol with no extra calories, and no hangover? I think it will catch on very quickly!
When will we get alternatives to drinking alcohol?
The only problem according to Professor Nutt is that it might take 10 to 20 years for alcosynth to be available in the bottle shop. There is no doubt that alcosynth looms as one of the most exciting alternatives to drinking alcohol. But how long can we wait to buy it?
Are there any side effects?
I think we need to consider this aspect very carefully. The problem with alcohol is not simply the effect that alcohol has on the body and the brain. The problem is why we need to drink. And, what physical or emotional pain we are trying to escape from? If we find that alcohol provides some sort of escape from the realities of our daily life, then it is possible that we will just replace alcohol with something else. Or rather replace one addiction with another addiction. When we do that, we have not solved anything.
Are you looking for alternatives to alcohol?
Without a doubt, there are many good reasons to avoid alcohol. It is a poisonous and toxic substance, which is bad for health. As we all know, alcohol is also addictive, which causes us to drink more than we should. Anyone who has had a negative experience with alcohol will remember how bad it feels to suffer a hangover, nausea and vomiting. Why would we choose to do that to ourselves? There is no doubt that many people prefer to avoid hangovers, and choose one of the safer alternatives to drinking alcohol.
But there are other good reasons to seek alternatives to drinking alcohol
Most people are aware by now that alcoholic beverages contain a large amount of excess calories. These so called empty calories come in the form of added sugar. Empty calories are especially prevalent in those mixed drinks that have soda or soft drinks added to the alcohol. What most people don’t get is that alcohol does not actually taste good to humans. Sometimes we forget that alcohol is actually the by product of rotting vegetation! To make alcohol more palatable, most alcoholic beverages have added sugar to mask the underlying taste. Suffice to say, the added sugar is just another reason why drinking alcohol is bad for us.
What do you choose to drink instead of alcohol?
No matter what you choose to drink instead of alcohol, there are plenty of options for alternatives to drinking alcohol. No matter whether you like to relax with a drink at home, or whether you like to socialise with friends at the bar, there are some really good alternatives to drinking alcohol.
Alcohol free beverages
I saw a brand of alcohol free beer advertised in the mainstream media recently – “Guiness 0.0”. The branding and the packaging of this product appears just like a viable alternative to drinking alcoholic beer. These days there is a wide range of alcohol free beers on the market, and the best thing is no one needs to know, because they look like the real thing. And they taste like the real thing also!
Of course there are also a wide variety of alcohol free wines, which have had the alcohol component removed. These alcohol free wines tend to be controversial alternatives to drinking alcohol. This is because of the snobbish opinion of wine aficionados, who would no doubt criticise the alcohol free alternative even if it tasted exactly the same. But alcohol free wines do not taste the same as alcoholic wine, because they are different.
Cider and ginger beer are alternatives to drinking alcohol
These age old favourites come in both alcohol free as well as alcoholic beverages. The alcohol free varieties are quite palatable and are excellent alternatives to drinking alcohol.
Alcohol free gin
I was most surprised to learn that there is an alcohol free version of gin on the market, but I haven’t tasted it myself. The only thing that bothers me about these alternatives to drinking alcohol is the risk that the non-drinker is being psychologically tricked into drinking. If we choose not to drink alcohol, then I am not sure why we need to associate with the appearance of drinking alcohol. When we go to the effort of finding alternatives to drinking alcohol, then why do we need to be seen to be drinking something that looks like alcohol?
Mocktails are the popular alternative to drinking alcohol
Mocktails have been popular for some time as a viable alternative to alcohol. Cleverly concocted, mocktails look great and taste great, the only difference is the alcohol content! In fact, some of the more clever mocktails can look just the same if not better than some of the alcoholic alternatives. There are some useful ideas described on this website for alternatives to drinking alcohol – check out the melon blast.
Sparkling Water is one of the healthiest and best alternatives to drinking alcohol
That’s right, just plain mineral water, with a twist of lemon and lime is one of the most refreshing and healthy drinks. With virtually no calories, and an invigorating zing, this simple alternative to alcohol is actually good for you. Drinking water is the best way to hydrate our body, and to maintain a healthy system. Keeping up the right levels of hydration keeps everything working properly on the inside. Keeping the body properly hydrated also helps to avoid headaches, fatigue and keeps the kidneys operating at 100%.
Surprisingly, we found that there are many suitable alternatives to drinking alcohol, and some of them are good for health!
Shame you can’t say the same thing about alcohol. Click here if you need help to stop drinking.