New alternatives to alcohol are appearing on the market: zero or low-calorie non-active drinks, CBD-infused and/or Cannabis/THC-infused health & relaxation drinks, like Cava.

Kin Euphorics is one of the euphoric producing companies: „the first innovation in a 10,000 year long social drinking tradition”. They use nootropics, which target specific neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin and GABA ).

Nootropics („smart drugs” or „cognitive enhancers”)are drugs, supplements, and other substances that may improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.

Potential risks associated with euphorics are unsupported claims, unknown exact composition and undefined side effects.

Updates

A company called GABAlabs is also working on alcohol replacements. The Sentia botanical drink is made with food grade herbs that contain molecules that work on the GABA system, which produces a state of relaxation and sociality. By targeting the GABA system, the drink avoids targeting other neurotransmitter systems that alcohol affects, which can lead to problems when larger doses are consumed. The use of these herbs is believed to minimize the risk of dependence, as they are not known to activate the dopamine system, which is a key driver of alcohol dependence and craving.

Alcarelle, a synthetic molecule targets subtypes of the GABA system to mimic the effects of alcohol in a more specific way. The goal is to license Alcarelle as an ingredient that can be used extensively as an alternative to alcohol by any drink company in the world. The molecule is designed to offer the pleasure of alcohol with less harm and a lot fewer calories.

Before entering the market, the products have to go thorough food safety testing.