The wet cure

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The wet cure
LE FLACON SANS L’IVRESSE. Un alcool de substitution est en passe d’être développé par des chercheurs de l’Imperial College de Londres. Il provoquerait le
même sentiment de bien-être que l’alcool mais sans ses effets néfastes, simplement supprimés par l’ingestion d’un petite pilule miracle servant d’antidote. Finis la gueule de bois et le mal de crâne ?
NEWSWEEK
The wet cure
Un alcool de
synthèse contre la
gueule de bois
(wet réf. à wet/dry state Etat où la vente d’alcool est autorisée/interdite, cure remède)
hangover gueule de bois / compound composé, substance / to remove supprimer /
intoxication ivresse / dreaded redouté, redoutable.
2. set ensemble / to come, came, come complete with s’accompagner de / drunk ivre / to
offset, set, set compenser, contrebalancer,
ici neutraliser / buzz excitation, euphorie /
aside from à part / to throb battre, palpiter,
throbbing headache céphalée pulsatile / sensitivity sensibilité (ici à la lumière) / booze
alcool / to cut, cut, cut réduire / incidence
fréquence, nombre de cas / injury blessure /
drunk driving conduite en état d’ivresse.
3. inquiry enquête, investigation / indisputable incontestable / standpoint point de vue
/ to impair détériorer, altérer / process processus / bodily corporel / to slap appliquer
/ top-shelf haut de gamme, de qualité supérieure / DEA= Drug Enforcement Administration (US) agence fédérale dépendant du
Département de la Justice chargé de la mise
en application de la loi sur les stupéfiants et
de la lutte contre leur trafic / harmful nocif /
meth = methanphetamine.
4. shot petit verre / reverse-engineering rétroingénierie (étude d’un objet pour en comprendre le fonctionnement interne ou sa
méthode de fabrication afin de l’utiliser correctement ou de le modifier) / to figure out
comprendre / target cible / brain cerveau /
therefore donc, par conséquent / to mimic
imiter, reproduire / to increase accroître, renforcer /
28 • VOCABLE Du 26 décembre 2013 au 8 janvier 2014
BY JOHN ERICSON
ould hangovers soon be a thing of the
past? The answer is yes — if you believe
David Nutt, the Edmond J. Safra professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial
College London. Writing for The Guardian, he
says five newly discovered compounds made
it possible for him to synthesize an alcohol
substitute that removes all negative effects associated with drinking, intoxication, and even
the dreaded morning after.
2. His substitute, which stimulates a very precise set of neurotransmitters, comes complete
with a drunk-no-more antidote that offsets the
buzz faster than you can put your glass down.
Aside from eliminating throbbing headaches,
irritability and light sensitivity, this booze substitute could cut the incidence of alcohol-related injuries and drunk driving accidents.
C
Toxic
3. Nutt’s inquiry into the neuroscience of
hangovers and cocktails began with a central, indisputable fact: Alcohol is toxic. From both a psychiatric and physiological standpoint, alcohol is
a destructive substance that impairs cognitive
processes and bodily functions. Had alcohol been
discovered, say, last year, officials would have
slapped a top-shelf DEA classification on it, as
it is commonly considered more harmful to the
human body than heroin, crack, or meth.
4. To diminish the destructive forces in a shot
of vodka, scientists must do some sophisticated reverse-engineering, and figure out how
alcohol does what it does so well. “We know
that the main target for alcohol in the brain
is the neurotransmitter system gamma
aminobutyric acid (GABA) which keeps the
brain calm,” Nutt wrote. “Alcohol therefore
relaxes users through mimicking and increasing the GABA function. But we also know
Gaba gaba hey!
7. Nutt has identified five compounds that
appear to induce this desired effect on the
GABA system. Once they have been thoroughly
tested, they could be used to synthesize a new
brand of cocktail substitutes that only yield
positive psychoactive effects. All buzz, no bummer. Additionally, these substitutes could be
accompanied by an “antidote” capable of offsetting all effects, and allowing bar hoppers to
drive home safely after closing their tab.
8. While the journey from neurological discovery to finalized booze substitute may
seem long and expensive, Nutt is already one
step ahead. “I have sampled both new forms,”
he said. “After exploring one possible compound I was quite relaxed and sleepily inebriated for an hour or so, then within minutes of taking the antidote I was up giving a
lecture with no impairment whatsoever.” ●
i
that there are a range of GABA subsystems that
can be targeted by selective drugs.
5. “So in theory we can make an alcohol surrogate that makes people feel relaxed and
sociable and remove the unwanted effects,
such as aggression and addictiveness.”
6. In other words, Nutt’s substitute is designed to engage the same spectrum of neurotransmitters as alcohol, cocaine, heroin,
and other stimulants. But unlike controlled
substances, it doesn’t really do anything else.
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Feeling tipsy? (REUTERS/DARREN STAPLES)
range éventail, variété / subsystem sous-système / to target viser, cibler.
5. surrogate substitut / unwanted indésirable
/ addictiveness addiction, dépendance.
6. unlike à la différence de, contrairement à.
7. to induce induire, provoquer / thoroughly
de manière approfondie, minutieusement /
brand marque, ici type, genre / to yield produire / bummer expérience désagréable,
mauvais trip / additionally en outre / bar
hopper personne qui fait la tournée des bars
/ safely en toute sécurité / tab addition, note,
ardoise.
8. journey trajet, parcours / to be one step
ahead avoir une longueur d’avance (step
phase, étape) / to sample tester / sleepily
inebriated éméché et somnolent, dans le
coaltar / lecture cours (magistral) / impairment détérioration, diminution / whatsoever quel(le) qu’il(elle) soit.
Quelques astuces pour soigner la
gueule de bois sur la partie Basic
du CD de conversation.
Du 26 décembre 2013 au 8 janvier 2014 VOCABLE • 29