Alcohol almost as harmful as Heroin - will that make you drink less or not?

Question

Alcohol is ranked almost as harmful as heroin in a controversial new drug classification system proposed by a team of leading scientists.

http://lifestyle.aol.co.uk/health/alcohol-almost-as-harmful-as-heroin/article/20070323064309990001

Answer 1

Its about time they started getting more realistic about it. Medically speaking, alcohol is more dangerous than heroin. Alcohol is just as addictive as heroin and does far more damage to the body as well as far more social damage.

Answer 2

Theres different articles printed each day about something being good / bad for us what do we believe. The other week I was reading about how anti-oxidants prevent cancer and then a few days ago there was an article about how antioxidants increase your change of dying by 5%. What do you believe? That's just one example, I could think of loads. The point I'm trying to make it life is too short to worry about stuff like this. Everything in moderation! We're all going to get sick and die one day regardless of whether we drink or take heroin! I've never done drugs but I could have a car crash and die on my way home from work tonight where as a heroin addict might live another 20 / 30 years.

Answer 3

I think that this is true. I don't think that the government are using scare tactics to stop people from drinking it is merely a warning.

I think I would think about my drinking habits.
More people in the UK will openly admit to being to drinkers than Heroin users, so if more people drink than take heroine, in the long term it would be easier for individuals to become addicted to alcohol. I think people are not really as clued up on the affects of alcohol, as they like to think they are.

Heroine is seen as such a deadly drug, because it is deemed socially unacceptable. Were as you can go into any pub, restaurant or supermarket and pick up a bottle of wine. I think that people need to be more educated about the long and short term affects of alcohol. A drug is a drug, and should be used with caution.

Answer 4

Deadman, you didn't quote your source. I would be interested to hear where you read that heroin does no harm to your body. I would like you to go out onto the streets and tell all the junkies and the families of the junkies who have died from heroin overdoses that it does not harm to your body because it is naturally derived.

You know what else is naturally derived? Cyanide. Why don't you go an inject some cyanide, it's sure to be safe because it's naturally derived. You know what else is? Alcohol. Funny that.

The marketing people these days put so much emphasis on things being 'natural' or 'pure' and make us believe that natural=healthy. This is wrong. Modern medicine is man made, cancer is natural. What's better?

When reports like these come out that rank drugs on a scale of harmfulness, you need to look *very* carefully at how they derive their ranking. In this case, it sounds like it is some non-normalised measure of social damage (property damage each year, serious accidents per year, related crimes reported per year etc), and because alcohol is legal and consumed by tens of millions of people in this country alone, of course it is going to come out above heroin, used by only(!) tens of thousands.

I'm not trying to defend alcohol. I live in Glasgow, a city particularly affected by alcohol related crime and I would see it banned tomorrow. But fact is, it is *not*, in real-terms, more harmful than heroin - the drug of drugs.

<\rant>

Answer 5

depends if your an alcoholic or not cause if u are one most likely it isnt about when u going to die but an addiction and we all know the only thing that can solve that problem is the will be when u hit rock bottm and havent died yet and cant drink no more cause u feel so empty inside that all u can do is drink then u get like some weierd sign from god and some how some way u climb out of the addiction and learn how to deal with life so the answer is it doesnt matter what substance it is an addiction is an addiction as an addict is an addict and they no who they are lol

Answer 6

I don't drink. I see what it does to people that care about you. Alcohol being as bad as heroin it just an other reason not to.

Answer 7

It destroys brain cells, causes epilepsy and kills... I know because it killed my first husband this way at the age of 41.

He died choking on his vomit alone, on his parents cold kitchen floor, after suffering a seizure, then a mammoth heart attack and choking.

He left behind five damaged children, and me, to pick up all their lives and sort out their emotions.

Our son tried to jump into his grave and had to be forcibly restrained inside hysteria at the age of 18. Today, he is throwing his life away as well on drugs and sleeps rough on the streets at the age of 44 next Thursday. He can't be helped, too many people tried, he's now too dangerous.

My eldest daughter is an alcoholic like her dad and lives on two carrier bags full of medication monthly, because her body is so damaged.

Thankfully, the other three are doing well.

My heart has never healed for all three of them.

An occasional glass of wine, an occasional beer... there is no harm in that... to drink and to get drunk, to binge and not to care because you need to join in, is sad, dangerous, and seriously stupid.

It is not an illness, it is habit... and no one can help a sufferer, until they themselves accept they have a problem... most people never do.

Think, and think, and think again, of the ones who love and live with you and who, suffer all their lives after you destroy your own!

Please!

Answer 8

So where is the link to show us this statement???? Sorry, dont believe it...

OOoo look at the thumbs down from the sad people on here... TWATS!!!!, anyway, thanks for the updated info for the link to this statement as thats what i wanted.

Its a bit missleading as one part read "He pointed out that at present there was no rational, evidence-based method for assessing the harmfulness of drugs. "We have tried to develop such a method,'' said Prof Blakemore..... So how can they rank drugs and alcohol together if they cant assess it? So even with your link i still am sceptical.... looks like i still wont get best answer lol, oh well, i will try and sleep tonight.

Answer 9

in my opinion alcohol is more harmful, although heroin is addicive it doesn't actually cause any damage to the body as it derives from a natural opium poppy.

alcohol injures and kills far more people each year.

Answer 10

I'm a heavy drinker (socially though) and dont get hangovers, but even knowing what you say I wouldn't drink less. I'm not alcoholic or anything, and can go without, but at the weekend I'll drink heavily.