“There is actually old data to suggest, and part of the lore of treatment of alcohol use, that substitutes like benzodiazepines”—one of the substances used to aid alcohol withdrawal—“can actually cause increased drinking, like to whet the appetite of someone who is severely dependent.”

Further, “if Alcosynth impacts subjective intoxication [i.e., the feeling of being drunk] without reducing cognitive impairment, it could leave users quite vulnerable to intoxicated risk taking,” says Dr. William R. Corbin, professor of Psychology at Arizona State University and expert on alcohol misuse and related risk behaviors.

Since “subjective experiences of intoxication recover relatively quickly within a drinking episode, whereas the impact on cognition and behavioral control is prolonged,” according to Corbin, “this often leaves individuals feeling like they are not intoxicated despite ongoing cognitive impairment that may result in poor decision-making (e.g., drinking and driving) and risk-taking.