Best way to neutralize alcohol in your body?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the most effective methods to neutralize alcohol in the body after intoxication. Key points include that the body's elimination of alcohol is primarily managed by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which operates as a zero-order reaction in the liver. Drinking water is emphasized as the best natural method to alleviate hangover symptoms by combating dehydration, although it does not speed up alcohol elimination. Additionally, the potential use of Ro 15-4513, a GABA receptor antagonist developed by Hoffmann La Roche, is mentioned as a theoretical approach to counteract alcohol effects.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of alcohol metabolism and the role of alcohol dehydrogenase.
  • Knowledge of the physiological effects of dehydration and hangovers.
  • Familiarity with GABA receptors and their role in alcohol's effects on the brain.
  • Basic concepts of enzyme activity and zero-order kinetics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the mechanisms of alcohol metabolism and the function of alcohol dehydrogenase.
  • Explore the physiological effects of dehydration and effective hydration strategies.
  • Investigate the pharmacology of Ro 15-4513 and its potential applications in alcohol intoxication.
  • Learn about the biochemical processes involved in hangover symptoms and remedies.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for medical professionals, biochemists, and individuals interested in understanding alcohol metabolism and effective hangover management strategies.

wasteofo2
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Is there an easy way to help neutralize/digest alcohol once you're intoxicated? For instance, would drinking lots of things with aceitic acid cause esterification to occur within your body, getting the alcohol out quicker? Is there something else that could be done?
 
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wasteofo2 said:
Is there an easy way to help neutralize/digest alcohol once you're intoxicated? For instance, would drinking lots of things with aceitic acid cause esterification to occur within your body, getting the alcohol out quicker? Is there something else that could be done?



Time is the only way. The are probably as many ways to try to get rid of alcohol/kill hangovers as there are to get drunk in the first place. The only way to get rid of alcohol faster would be to tell your body to make more alcohol dehydrogenase. But there is nothing you can do about that.
 
Your body's elimination of alcohol from your blood is a zero order reaction done by the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme in your liver, meaning that it doesn't depend on the temperature of concentration of the alcohol, just how much alcohol dehydrogenase you have.

As delicious as it sounds, I wonder, if you could drink a glass of alcohol dehydrogenase miture and have it start to work breaking down the alcohol when it is still being digested?
But since alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream so quickly, I wonder how effective that would be?
 
gravenewworld said:
The are probably as many ways to try to get rid of alcohol/kill hangovers as there are to get drunk in the first place.
Well now, getting rid of - or avoiding - hangovers is a completely different matter than neutralizing the alcohol. And there's really only one, ultra-simple way of doing that: drink lots of water. Most of the symptoms of a hangover are a result of dehydration.
 
I wonder, if you could drink a glass of alcohol dehydrogenase miture and have it start to work breaking down the alcohol when it is still being digested?

Unfortunately I think the rather strong acids in your stomach would denature the enzyme faster than it would get to the alcohol. I remember hearing at school that alcohol (pure ethanol) was the antidote for antifreeze poisioning so I guess it might work in the reverse situation (I wouldn't recommend trying it though!)
 
sophster said:
Unfortunately I think the rather strong acids in your stomach would denature the enzyme faster than it would get to the alcohol. I remember hearing at school that alcohol (pure ethanol) was the antidote for antifreeze poisioning so I guess it might work in the reverse situation (I wouldn't recommend trying it though!)

Remember that 'alcohol' is a trivial name for ethanol, but that does bot mean that all alcohol found in bars etc. is pure ethanol.
 
sophster said:
Unfortunately I think the rather strong acids in your stomach would denature the enzyme faster than it would get to the alcohol. I remember hearing at school that alcohol (pure ethanol) was the antidote for antifreeze poisioning so I guess it might work in the reverse situation (I wouldn't recommend trying it though!)


Getting hammered is also a "cure" for wood alcohol i.e. methanol poisoning.
 
sophster said:
I remember hearing at school that alcohol (pure ethanol) was the antidote for antifreeze poisioning so I guess it might work in the reverse situation (I wouldn't recommend trying it though!)
Don't try it. Antifreeze in and of itself isn't poisonous, but enzymes in the liver turn it into oxalic acid, which is poisonous. Ethanol inhibits those enzymes long enough for the antifreeze to be excreted safely... so drinking antifreeze to "cure" being drunk would have little effect. The ethanol would shield you from its effects... but it wouldn't affect the ethanol's effects.
 
hmmm... actually there is a way to get ride of the alcohol in the body, my advise is that u should drink lots of water here are the reasons why;

1. drinking water causes you to urinate, thus urinating help you to eliminate alcohol in your bloodstream
2. alcohol deprives you of your bodily fluids, which is very dangerous you might die sleeping ^_^ [this is serious though] - drinking water is the best natural way to get ride of alcohol in the body
 
  • #10
marc_ocampo said:
1. drinking water causes you to urinate, thus urinating help you to eliminate alcohol in your bloodstream

Drinking water won't make your kidneys work any faster (possibly the opposite), it'll just give you more diluted urine. And it doesn't really matter whether you urinate or not because the alcohol can't really be reabsorbed from your bladder.

This thread's four years old btw.
 
  • #11
On the other hand it has been suggested you might inhibit the alcohol dehydrogenase with a nicotinamide analog if you want to prolong the effect. Suggested, but not too seriously.
 
  • #12
There exist a specific antagonist to the action of alkohol at the relevant GABA receptors which had been developed by Hoffmann La Roche and is called Ro 15-4513.
 

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