Instadrunk

Instadrunk is one of the newest inventions from Emrys Industries, and one which is thought may achieve considerable sales - and with any luck help Nepleslians everywhere wean themselves off alcohol. It comes in two versions - Clear (retaining only drinks 'beneficial' aspects) and Dark (which retains some of them).

The name Instradrunk was only reached after considerable debate - with Seru wishing for it to be called 'aqua vitae'. It was decided that Instadrunk might appeal more to the Nepleslian sensibility, but it is marketed as SynthCol in Yamatai. The distinction between 'Clear' and 'Dark' is partially a reference to the fact that 'Clear' is a crystal clear liquid while 'Dark' is black, and partially a reference to the two different effects.

The way that Instradrunk functions is through a simple application of Emrys Industries pheromone technology - the liquid is a combination of a substance which makes the throat temporarily highly absorbent and a cocktail of potent and highly specialized chemicals which pass through the blood/brain barrier and effect certain areas of the brain. The exact effect depends on the variety of Instadrunk you have consumed, but includes sensitizing the N-methyl-D-asparatate system of the brain, rendering it more receptive to glutamate, and stimulating the cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens which are responsible for thinking and pleasure seeking. It also causes relaxation through the prompting of heightened alpha brain waves, and increase the general level of enjoyment of the recipient. In order to achieve the reduced level of inhibitions linked to alcohol consumption the drug increases metabolism in the movement areas of the brain - notably the nigrostriatal pathway - which causes the reward systems in the brain to become more active, combined with a reduced understanding of consequences.

However it notably avoids the 'negative' elements of alcohol consumption - NMDA receptors are not deadened, and as such thought is not inhibited, and the gamma-aminobutyric acid system is unaffected which means that memory is not impaired. Glucose is not suppressed so that the occipital lobe is not impaired - which means that vision is not blurred. In addition to this the vertigo effect normally reffered to as 'The Spins' is avoided as the drug does not effect the vestibular system (it does not distort the cupula) and as such does not disrupt balance which means that the nystagus eye movement is not caused. By limiting the impact on the cerebellum Instadrunk does not cause Ataxia, and as such does not cause the user to be 'clumsy'.

It should be noted that this is the function of the most pure of the Instadrunk substances - 'Clear Instadrunk'. The functions of the other version, 'Dark Instadrunk' far more closely mirror the impact of normal drunkenness, including the deadening of the NMDA receptors and other effects described in the second paragraph.

Finally the concoction has a rather complex role to play in manipulating the centers of the brain which are responsible for taste - it renders the user unable to bear the taste of any form of alcohol while the InstaDrunk is having any effect - this was considered essential so that the drug could not be used in tandem with alcohol, which could create disastrous effects. It also contains limiting chemicals which means that someone can not exceed 10 units.

The effects of InstaDrunk are hard to explain given that they mirror alcohol consumption very closely - inhibitions are relaxed, mild euphoria is induced along with the many effects which cause alcohol to be popular - if nothing else it acts as a social lubricant.

Dark has a somewhat different effect as it will cause limited thought impairment, limited blurriness of the eyes, combined with 'The Spins' and a significantly greater depressive effect - it is far more useful for 'forgetting your sorrows'.

Notably neither has the effect of causing a hangover, but is designed to leave the body at a rate of one unit per hour.

InstaDrunk is sold in small transparent vials around an inch tall by half an inch wide and composed of a strong plastic - the top is unscrewed. The size of the vial does not depend on the strength of the content. The liquid is either clearer than water with a sparkle or almost completely black.

Both Clear and Dark cost the same amount. Each 'unit' is roughly the same as a shot of Vodka or Whiskey in strength.

• 2 Units: 3 KS
• 4 Units: 4 KS
• 6 Units: 5 KS
• 8 Units: 6 KS
• 10 Units: 7 KS