EStore Monkey

I Traded Alcohol for a “Buzz” Drink That Tricks the Brain — Here’s How It Felt

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&NewLine;<p>To quote Elton John&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;it’s a little bit funny&comma; this feeling inside&period;” As I type this&comma; I’m sipping a cold&comma; dark brew over ice and tonic water&comma; and something subtle is beginning to happen&period; It’s not exactly tipsiness&comma; but there’s a soft buzz — a gentle spark firing somewhere in my brain&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>This isn’t your typical happy hour story&comma; though&period; The liquid in my glass isn’t wine&comma; beer&comma; or any other alcohol&period; It’s <strong>Sentia<&sol;strong>&comma; a drink developed by pharmacologist and addiction expert <strong>Prof&period; David Nutt<&sol;strong>&comma; designed to mimic the sociable&comma; relaxed sensation of alcohol without the downsides&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Touted as the &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;future of drinking&comma;” Sentia promises to deliver that easygoing&comma; uninhibited feeling that usually follows a drink or two — only without hangovers&comma; addictive properties&comma; or calories&period; The effects last about 30–40 minutes and are said to make you feel more relaxed&comma; sociable&comma; and even sharper at pool&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<hr class&equals;"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"&sol;>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">How Sentia Works Without Alcohol or Caffeine<&sol;h3>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The science behind Sentia centers around a neurotransmitter called <strong>GABA &lpar;gamma-aminobutyric acid&rpar;<&sol;strong> — often described as the brain’s &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;off switch&period;” GABA helps calm overactive nerve impulses&comma; easing anxiety&comma; improving mood&comma; and promoting better sleep&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Our bodies naturally produce GABA&comma; and it’s found in some foods&comma; too&period; But because scientists debate whether consumed GABA actually crosses the <strong>blood-brain barrier<&sol;strong>&comma; Sentia takes a different approach&period; Its blend of herbs and botanicals aims to <strong>enhance the effectiveness of the GABA your body already makes<&sol;strong> and improve the absorption of GABA boosters through the gut&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>While peer-reviewed evidence is still limited&comma; early studies offer intriguing results&period; Researchers at the <strong>University of Exeter<&sol;strong> recorded EEG brain scans of Sentia drinkers that showed patterns linked to relaxation and sociability&period; Prof&period; Nutt is also conducting ongoing research through <strong>GABALabs<&sol;strong>&comma; the company behind Sentia&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>And there’s no doubt GABA plays a major role in mood and behavior&period; <strong>Prof&period; Andrew Scholey<&sol;strong>&comma; a human psychopharmacology expert at Northumbria University&comma; points to a 2023 study showing that people with <strong>generalized anxiety disorder &lpar;GAD&rpar;<&sol;strong> had lower GABA levels — and higher anxiety&period; Another review he co-authored in 2020 found that orally ingested GABA tended to <strong>improve sleep quality and might reduce stress<&sol;strong>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<hr class&equals;"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"&sol;>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">My Week on Sentia<&sol;h3>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>I tried Sentia for a week and tracked my sleep with an Apple Watch&period; Unsurprisingly&comma; my sleep quality was noticeably better on Sentia compared to nights with alcohol&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The immediate effects&comma; though&comma; were more subtle&period; There were moments when I wondered if it was just a placebo&period; Yet&comma; compared to water or soda&comma; Sentia left me feeling <strong>calm and content<&sol;strong>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Scholey explains that measuring these kinds of effects is tricky&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<blockquote class&equals;"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;With many recreational drugs&comma; the effects are obvious&period; With alcohol&comma; even&comma; it’s hard to untangle the chemical effects from psychological expectation&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Anecdotally&comma; people in his field report mixed experiences with Sentia — some feel a pronounced buzz&comma; while others feel nothing&period; Personally&comma; I fall somewhere in between&period; Still&comma; the drinking experience itself is enjoyable&period; Sentia comes in <strong>three flavors<&sol;strong>&comma; two of which I tried&comma; and they have <strong>complex botanical profiles<&sol;strong> more reminiscent of cocktails than soft drinks&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>With more people rethinking their relationship with alcohol&comma; the <strong>no- and low-alcohol market in the UK more than doubled in sales in 2024<&sol;strong>&comma; making drinks like Sentia part of a growing movement&period; Other brands are joining in too — <strong>Impossibrew<&sol;strong> in the UK claims its drinks influence brain waves for relaxation&comma; while New Zealand’s <strong>&Amacr;repa<&sol;strong> focuses on cognitive-enhancing &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;functional” beverages&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>For Nutt&comma; Sentia offers a healthier alternative to alcohol’s long-term risks — and for me&comma; even a half-effective buzz feels like a welcome option&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<hr class&equals;"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"&sol;>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">A Taste Test&colon; Mixed Reviews<&sol;h3>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><strong>Chandra Sarkar&comma; Doctor – Sentia Red<&sol;strong><br>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It smells like a Christmas candle&period; I wasn’t a fan of the smoothie-like texture&comma; and I didn’t enjoy it with tonic&period; But over ice&comma; it was much better&period; After two servings&comma; I felt relaxed and slightly lightheaded&period; The effect didn’t last long&comma; though&comma; and I’d suggest people check for potential interactions with medications&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><strong>Gentian Dema&comma; Legal Executive – Sentia Black<&sol;strong><br>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I haven’t had alcohol in over two years&comma; but I still want drinks that refresh and relax me&period; This wasn’t it&period; It lacked sweetness&comma; tasted astringent&comma; and left my mouth dry — I had to eat grapes to get rid of the flavor&period; Sadly&comma; I felt no buzz at all&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<hr class&equals;"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"&sol;>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><strong>The Verdict&colon;<&sol;strong> Sentia might not fully replicate the buzz of alcohol&comma; and experiences vary widely&period; But as a mindful&comma; hangover-free alternative with potential benefits for mood and sleep&comma; it’s a glimpse into what the future of social drinking could look like&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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