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I don’t handle alcohol well. If I drink too much, I almost always end up either sobbing or suffering from my own special form of alcohol related Tourette’s. While under the influence, I have a habit of saying anything and everything that is on my mind, and many consider me a highly-offensive drunk. The only thing that shocks me about my habits when I drink? The fact that I have yet to have my ass kicked.
So, for me it comes as no surprise to me that a recent British study has ranked alcohol as more dangerous …
… to others then crack or heroin. I, for one, believe it. On a list of 20 drugs, alcohol ranked number one due to the effects on the person imbibing and the danger to those around them:
Researchers analyzed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.
Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals. When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest. But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower
It has always annoyed me how embraced booze is in our culture while people tend to freak out over recreational pot use. Take California’s prop 19 for instance (which would legalize marijuana in California). People are all bent out of shape about it, yet they have no problem with alcohol use. And abuse, in some cases. In my experience, booze is way more damaging than pot could ever really be. I have never seen an aggressive, abusive stoner, but I have seen plenty of loud, fighting, sexually inappropriate drunks.
As for being worse than heroin, I’m not so sure. I have seen the effects of heroin abuse and I think it’s much more isolating to suffer from that kind of addiction. It’s more socially acceptable to be a drunk then a junkie. However, I do feel that alcohol leads to much more aggressive behavior as opposed to heroin. Raging alcoholics are often physically, sexually, and emotional abusive. It shouldn’t take a study to make that point evident.
And you know, as we all know, just because alcohol is legal doesn’t mean that it’s safe, or that it affects everyone in the same way. What do you guys think, would you agree that alcohol should top this list as the most dangerous drug?
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I disagree. Strongly
My ex was a raging alcoholic. Awful things happened to our family when he drank, but guess what? He quit. He has been sober for 5 years now.
My half brother is a heroin addict. Horrible things haven’t happened to our family while he is using – terrible things happen to everyone around him. He isn’t mean.
Unfortunately, he isn’t even what I term a human. He is one huge bundle of need. he will do anything he can to get heroin.
He has stolen from everyone in the family to feed this addiction – even my Mom, even his kids. It is heartbreaking to hear a 10 year old boy say to you:
“Aunt Blurry, please – don’t give me any money. My Dad finds it and steals it to buy drugs. Take me to the mall and we’ll do something instead. He won’t be able to take that.”
His older brother drilled a hole and put a chain through his video game console to keep his Dad from selling it. This was the 4th console this year.
He stole a book of checks from my elderly Mother – causing her account to go negative. Guess who had to clean that mess up to protect her? Yep, me. To the tune of $2500. So, he stole from my family, my kids as well.
I was trying to talk him into rehab last week – he refused. He has accepted that this was going to kill him, probably sooner than later. He went cold turkey 3 times. Each time, he lasted about 2 weeks. The one thing that he is happy about?
His habit now only costs him $30 per day ($900 per month) because he supplements his habit with xanax and sells his prescription of Oxycontin to cover most of this. He was formerly using $400 PER DAY. That’s right – $12,000 per month.
So, I invite these people to live with both of these addictions, then decide. I think the persons doing this study have their heads up their assess.
I’m also surprised I haven’t had my ass kicked when I’m drunk. I’m not usually a bad drunk (I don’t cry, or flirt outrageously, or try to scale tall buildings) but I do gossip. The little switch in my brain that usually says “should you really be telling this person that?” gets switched off – I think anyone is my closest friend who will keep all the secrets that I couldn’t.
I’m doing better now though – when someone comes up to me at party and says “promise you won’t tell anyone, but…” I say “I cannot promise I won’t tell, I’ve had a drink – all I can say is I will try my best.”
Usually they tell me anyway – alcohol makes everyone very loose-lipped.
But to the point – from the things I’ve seen this halloween weekend, alcohol is very dangerous.
Blurry, I don’t think the study was trying to imply that any one addiction is worse to live with than another. Addicts all react so differently, and their personalities can have completely different effects on their loved ones that such a study would be fruitless.
This study was specifically studying the greater danger of some addictions. The rankings are based on number of addicts, cost to society, and permanence of addiction.
As your story so obviously demonstrates, addiction is an awful thing. I think the reason why alcohol has ranked so highly is because so many people are willing to ignore drinking problems, which helps them become more prominent. After all, drinking is perfectly legal, while most other addictive substances are not.
That being said, I am very sorry for your brother’s situation, and for your family. Addiction is an awful thing, and it is always tragic to hear about those who refuse to get help.
100% agreed Blurry. I come from a long line of alcoholics and am married to an alcoholic that has 18 years sobriety. Alcohol is by far one of the most dangerous drug out there.
And your earlier comment about this new format is 100% correct also. The reply format doesn’t work at all. Sarah, how come you guys had to mess with a good thing?? Not angry, just disappointed and sad :(
Another important aspect of this study is access to the drug mentioned; the Dr who published the findings did point out that alcohol is widely accessible to most which leads to a greater circle of people affected. Not saying that one addiction is worse than another really, I’ve seen all kinds. Alcohol has always been more socially acceptable, even more so in places like Japan and the U.K. I am so sorry for anyone who has to suffer through their own, a family member or a friend’s addiction. Addiction hurts everyone. My heart goes out.
I think it completely depends on the person, I could use my father as the example of the severe violent alcoholic (though he has mental issues also so not a completely fair comparison) but I’ve known a meth addict who has been meth free for 5 years now, and my cousin was a heavy cocaine addict but he has been sober for a couple years now also.
@ V – I know, I know. They’re being worked on. You have no idea how much work goes into just maintaining sites like this, let alone fixing things (even minor things) when they break. PITA is all I have to say about that one … LOL
Blurry, So sorry to hear about your bro!
I would say that alcohol is the worst not just because of what it can do to people but because it’s *so* easy to get it. Way too easy, even for people who are under age.
It pretty much means that anyone who has a tendency towards addiction can get it, which is crazy.
It’s more addictive and harmful to yourself and others then LSD, E and weed yet people think those are horrible drugs.
We don’t even treat alcohol like a drug, it’s advertised all over the place (unless you live somewhere that doesn’t allowed it), we open places specifically for taking this drug and just because it’s been happening for hundreds of years no one thinks about how it’s actually sort of fucked up.
Think about how many people every year die as a direct result of alcohol, either through killing themselves from too much or drink driving, alcohol fuelled rages etc.
I get that other drugs on that list are bad (I lived with an addict) but the fact that we can legally take something so harmful and the fact that it’s in some ways encouraged is just bullshit.
@Sarah. PITA, oh yeah, I know. My son does this for a living and I’ve maintained a blog or so. I know you guys are trying your best. Us women folk, just like to bitch as boringwhateverthefuckhisname would say!
I had a close friend who was an addiction councilor,she told me that opiates was the hardest to treat with a high relapse rate. Addicts will tell you that the rush is like many orgasms,does sound inviting doesn’t it. Probably a good reason not to try it. The AA is the best route for alcoholics,you need the support from fellow drinkers. I know this sounds like the ramblings of an old hippy,but I recommend everyone to do LSD,at least once,preferably while in the woods!
How is this ‘feminism in a bra’? There seem to be more and more posts on here that are health-related in general, rather than specific to women… I don’t like it.
I agree as well, coming from an alcoholic family. Alcohol is certainly much more available, and costs only a fraction of hardcore drugs.
Lucky me I guess. I go directly from “You can’t tell I’ve been drinking” to “toilet hugger” with no stages ibetween. I just can’t tolerate alcohol enough to drink to the point of doing stupid things.
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I don’t really get opiate addiction either, since opiates and painkillers make me go directly to barfing within minutes, and there’s really nothing worse than being stoned and nauseated at once.
I haven’t tried pot, but I don’t see why it is so much more evil than alcohol. At least potheads don’t get angry or violent (and I’m in horticulture, I know a lot of potheads). I can see why alcohol would be so dangerous; it’s so easy to access and since it’s legal it has a large range of influence.
Pot is most excellent.
It is in my retirement plans.
I had an early childhood lesson is “pot is way better than alcohol.”
When my stepdad got high, we watched funny movies, he was mellow and likable and all was right with the world.
When he got drunk, he screamed and yelled, threw things around the house and the cops were frequently called.
I have NEVER understood why alcohol is legal and pot isn’t.