Sometimes things we see in sci fi books or movies look like they'd be pretty cool if they were real. How about the alcohol substitute Synthehol that appeared in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation? You know the one, it let drinkers feel drunk without having to experience any annoying side effects such as a hangover.

With the way technology is going, some of those ideas coming to fruition may not be that far off. In fact, it looks like we may just see a beverage like Synthehol created for real-life use! David Nutt, a professor and psychopharmacologist at the UK's University of Bristol, thinks that there is really no scientific reason that the beverage can't be created.

The way alcohol works in the brain is kind of confusing, but we will give explaining it a try. It is said that it works by latching on to GABA-A receptors, which are signaling molecules. There are many subtypes, and not all of them are associated with specific alcohol side effects. One example given is that memory loss can occur when drinking because alcohol binds to a GABA-A receptor subtype called alpha-5.

Have we lost you yet? Hope not. Professor Nutt has suggested that if molecules could be developed that don't bond well to bad subtypes, such as the aforementioned alpha-5, it could be possible to experience all the fun effects that alcohol brings without the bad ones, like hangovers.

Another interesting idea is that major problems like cirrhosis may be completely eliminated if the composition of alcoholic beverages can be altered. Nutt is set to publish this idea next month is the Journal of Psychopharmacology.