Oh, I don't think its the addiction aspect of alcohol that he was designing this over, but more a drug with far fewer health implications. The section on addiction I think was about benzos (like valium and xanax), which his drug is derived from. Benzos are known for having a fairly high potential for addiction, so I think he was talking about it for that reason. The idea isn't to stop people from becoming addicted to alcohol, but making a relatively safer drug, without the new drug being more addictive than benzos.

I' not against studying substance abuse and addiction, and I'm not saying treatment is useless... but as a society, at least in the UK, despite the best efforts to promote responsible drinking, there is still a health damaging level of alcohol consumption, which obviously harms individuals, but also increases crime, anti-social behaviour, and puts a lot of pressure on our health-care system (long term health problems and emergency services). So It makes sense that whilst addressing these problems, as it is a long term process and mission, which would require total ideological shifts, a safer alternative could be used to minimize harm. Especially if it minimised not only health, but the kinda of behaviour that floods our ERs every weekend.

I suppose it also depends on how you view recreational drug use. The main issues for me are health implications and life interference. There are some people who are self-medicating, but most alcohol drinkers do drink out for recreation, often socially. The latter I have no problem with, especially if it were safe.

Also, alcohol addiction has a strong genetic disposition.

But its effectiveness as an alcohol replacement is something I question, and in part, because of the reasons we drink. We have what they call a 'binge drinking culture'... its pretty much something that a lot people do, even though we know we shouldn't (I say 'we' as a society, I have mostly sobered up since 2012). Adults and young people a like get wasted frequently. Would this new drug really be able to compete? He says it has an intoxication limit, a point where taking more wont do anything. Will it just lead people to mixing it with actual alcohol? What ever he makes, it would not only have to be safer, but would have to be seen as a good enough alternative to make people walk away from the booze.