Is it worse to be a heroin addict or alcoholic?

Question

I know this might be a silly question, but i was fighting with my uncle and other family members who are all addicts of some kind of drug. I feel that heroin is worse, but i don't know why they are arguing with me over it. Does anybody have an answer. I know a drug is a drug, but which is worse for your health and mentally?

Answer 1

In terms of long-term damage, alcohol wins all the prizes over heroin. It isn't even close.

If people can get heroin from a clean medical source they can use it for decades with no harmful effects other than constipation, possible problems with hearing, and the desire for more (addiction).

Heroin is simply another form of ordinary hospital morphine. The only difference between it and regular morphine is that heroin is three times stronger by weight. They are both converted to the same form of morphine inside the body. There are millions of pain patients who use morphine every day with no significant health problems.

One famous heroin addict was Dr. William Stewart Halsted - the "father of modern surgery". He invented most of the basic techniques of modern surgery while he was a heroin addict. Another famous heroin addict was Senator Joseph McCarthy.

The bad effects associated with heroin are almost entirely because it is illegal. That is, it is often impure, addicts use bad injection techniques, they share needles, and they spend an inordinate amount of time pursuing illegal sources of heroin. In the heroin maintenance clinics in Europe, these problems have been greatly reduced by prescribing heroin to addicts.

You are obviously new to the subject so I suggest that you start by reading the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs. It is the best single overall review of the subject ever written. You will find surprises on every page. You can find it at http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm

Answer 2

Heroin is worse in a sense because what you have to go through just to get it can be very dangerous. It's illegal, so it's contents aren't regulated and it's very easy to overdose on it. You run a high risk of contracting deadly blood-born diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis C through sharing needles. Alcohol is very deadly too because it can destroy just about every organ in the body, especially the liver, kidneys and brain- not to mention accidental deaths due to drunk driving, etc.

Answer 3

I think that is is harder for people that are addicted to heroin to maintain a normal life style, but some alcoholics get that way too,

Answer 4

In my opinion they are equal evils--just killing people in differnt ways. I am an emergency room nurse and I see A LOT of people die from heroin overdoses (these happen frequently and quickly) whereas I see A LOT of people dying a drawn out, painful death from alcoholism (booze destroys your liver and when you have end stage liver disease your life sucks). Emotionally they are both hard on victims and their loved ones, mostly because you can't do anything for them until they make up their minds that its time to seek help (frustrating due to high relapse rates) So basically they both suck way bad

Answer 5

heroin is worse just because it's got a worse social stigma. health wise, alcohol tends to cause a prolonged death from chronic liver failure and cachexia (malnutrition). dementia is also common in long-term chronic alcoholics.

heroin on the other hand tends to cause a quick death via overdose. the drug itself actually won't cause severe long-term health problems (aside from the mental health issues, of course), but you are at risk for acquiring HIV and hepatitis thru the shared needles.

Answer 6

a heroin addict and an alcoholic put together is worse

Answer 7

I knew a guy who used herion to kick alcohol. Bad idea. He went from a raging drunken alcoholic to a raging herion junkie in no time flat. Both are bad. Alcohol is legal. That is the difference. Alcohol is legal. And THAT is the ONLY difference. A drug is a drug is a drug.

Answer 8

alcoholic. you can go to any store and buy your "drug" it is also not illegal so you can do it when you want without fear. you cant go to any store and score some heroin. if you get pulled over there you go, off to jail. anything that you have become dependant upon is dangerous and you need to get help.

Answer 9

addcition of any kind is bad, what type of harm are you refering to? long term, short term, mentally, physically, socially, etc etc, when they argue as to which is worse, they are trying to justifiy & sort of comforting themself & says 'look i'm a heroin addict, that's not as bad as a drunk, i can stop anytime i want' i'm no doctor, both does damage to both physical and mental over long periods of abused, both could die of overdose.

Answer 10

heroin