Methamphetamine users have reduced concentrations of a chemical called N-acetyl-aspartate, which is a byproduct of the way neurons work.

BBC: Amphetamine brain damage measured

From there, it's a relatively easy and well-known process to turn Acetyl Co-A into a fuel like butanol or ethanol.

FORBES

They found at least 5% lower concentrations of N-acetyl-aspartate in two key areas of the brain, the basal ganglia and frontal white matter.

BBC: Amphetamine brain damage measured

This super-extremophile, using genetic instructions from a few different microbes, would create a complex a molecule called Acetyl Coenzyme-A, or Acetyl Co-A for short.

FORBES

Epigenetics currently one of molecular biology's hottest topics is a process by which genes are activated or deactivated by the presence or absence of chemical structures called methyl and acetyl groups.

ECONOMIST: Social status and health

Celanese is building seven acetyl plants in China.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The fungus uses a common carbohydrate processing enzyme called acetyl co-A to form the building blocks of hydrocarbons--but its unique chemical pathways are not yet understood nor is the process by which the gases escape the fungal membrane into the air.

FORBES: Magazine Article

They did, though, give a warm response to N-acetyl-cysteine - an amino acid supplement sold in health food stores, thought to work by increasing the body's ability to mop up destructive chemicals which build up in the liver as enzymes break down ethanol.

BBC: News | HEALTH | How to beat holiday hangovers