Pharmacology - Other Consumable Alcohols Besides Ethanol?

[zera]

Are there any other alcohols out there are non-poisonous/fit for human consumption, and do they produce a different qualitative intoxication than regular old ethanol?

It really has to do with the toxicity of the corresponding aldehyde, correct? So like methanol is toxic because it degrades into formaldehyde, which is pretty bad. Ethanol's not bad because the body can handle acetaldehyde. Theoretically if one could filter their blood of methanol before it broke down into formaldehyde, would consuming it produce a similar feeling of drunkenness, and would that be different than ethanol intoxication?

[Promefazyne]

I could be wrong but isn't there a different alcohol in absinthe?

[RaverHippie]

This was interesting when I looked up alcohol on wikipedia "An effective treatment to prevent formaldehyde toxicity after methanol ingestion is to administer ethanol. Alcohol dehydrogenase has a higher affinity for ethanol, thus preventing methanol from binding and acting as a substrate. Any remaining methanol will then have time to be excreted through the kidneys. Remaining formaldehyde will be converted to formic acid and excreted."

[Panthers007]

Yes and if your dog, Rover, laps up a puddle of ethylene glycol anti-freeze (it tastes sweet - animals and kids like it), the antidote is to get Rover (or Junior) good and drunk on ethanol - C2H5OH.

Of course, after you saved Junior's life with ethanol, you'd end up in court for supplying alcohol to a minor. But that will be nothing compared to what P.E.T.A. will do to you for turning Rover into a lush!