Study: Alcohol more lethal than heroin, cocaine

[Meian]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101101/...gerous_alcohol

LONDON – Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.
British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.
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.
The study was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and was published online Monday in the medical journal, Lancet.

Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers but for those around them.
"Just think about what happens (with alcohol) at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam. He was not linked to the study and co-authored a commentary in the Lancet.
When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin.
But experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol.
"We cannot return to the days of prohibition," said Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and one of the study's authors. "Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away."
King said countries should target problem drinkers, not the vast majority of people who indulge in a drink or two. He said governments should consider more education programs and raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available.

Experts said the study should prompt countries to reconsider how they classify drugs. For example, last year in Britain, the government increased its penalties for the possession of marijuana. One of its senior advisers, David Nutt - the lead author on the Lancet study - was fired after he criticized the British decision.
"What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science," said van den Brink. He said considerations about revenue and taxation, like those garnered from the alcohol and tobacco industries, may influence decisions about which substances to regulate or outlaw.
"Drugs that are legal cause at least as much damage, if not more, than drugs that are illicit," he said.

mm never thought about it like this but either way inc shitstorm

[Atreides]

but by all means lets not legalize pot, heaven forbid

[MisterBob]

but by all means lets not legalize pot, heaven forbid

Oh shut up already

[ZarakiKujata]

Not a surprise, imo all drugs should be legalized but thats only cause of watching The Wire.

[Boyiee]

Legalizing all drugs would be job security for me, go for it.

[Atreides]

it's kinda interesting that they don't mention tobacco products at all either, I wonder where cigarettes fit in with this new study. I would guess more dangerous than alcohol still but yeah

[Kuya]

The article itself said that the reason for alcohol's higher numbers is because it is used more. There's nothing controversial about this.

[Rhyis.]

The article itself said that the reason for alcohol's higher numbers is because it is used more. There's nothing controversial about this.

This. It disproved it's own point.

[Max™]

Hmmm, I had someone railing at me in another thread.

I pointed out that fast food kills more people each year in america than illegal drugs, like 400k deaths from cardiovascular/poor diet/lack of exercise, and roughly 20k from illicit drug use.

So then he tells me "well, fireplaces kill more people than great white sharks, but a shark is more dangerous", which is true one on one, just as it is true that you're more like to die from a single drug overdose than a single night of binge eating.

Still, fireplaces are more dangerous in general because of the sheer number of fireplaces, if everyone had a shark in their house, we'd see a much higher fatality rate, of course. Accordingly, it is more socially acceptable to have a fireplace, or to be a lardass, it is less acceptable to own sharks, or smoke crack. So the impression of safety increases the risk overall.

[Jotaru]

raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available.

This will end well.

[Boyiee]

raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available.

FUCK. YOUR. COUCH.

Last week filling an igloo water cooler with green goblin cost like 85$.

Shit was delicious. Green delicious. Soylent, even.

[Kerberoz]

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.

Arbitrary unscientific study is arbitrary and unscientific. Was this organized by sociology students, or what?

[altwight]

religion

[Maaglin]

Reminds of the South Park where Stan's dad goes to AA for his DUI and comes back with a "disease".

[Faris]

Hmmm, I had someone railing at me in another thread.

I pointed out that fast food kills more people each year in america than illegal drugs, like 400k deaths from cardiovascular/poor diet/lack of exercise, and roughly 20k from illicit drug use.

So then he tells me "well, fireplaces kill more people than great white sharks, but a shark is more dangerous", which is true one on one, just as it is true that you're more like to die from a single drug overdose than a single night of binge eating.

Still, fireplaces are more dangerous in general because of the sheer number of fireplaces, if everyone had a shark in their house, we'd see a much higher fatality rate, of course. Accordingly, it is more socially acceptable to have a fireplace, or to be a lardass, it is less acceptable to own sharks, or smoke crack. So the impression of safety increases the risk overall.

i think the purpose of a consumption also plays a big role on deciding whether its dangerous or not

we eat to live, we drink to ...?

religion

Religion is yelling "I TOLD U SO"

[Kuya]

Bitches hate Islam

edit: and catholicism and protestantism too

[Plow]

Arbitrary unscientific study is arbitrary and unscientific. Was this organized by sociology students, or what?

Do you people even know what Lancet is?

You're reading an article *about* a study and deciding on the quality of the study from it...

[Kuya]

Plow can be right sometimes too.

[Ashmada]

ITS: social crackheads.

All those studies trying to compare alcohol to drugs are ultimately silly.

- For most of us, alcohol isn't addictive.
I can go months without a drink, no signs of withdrawal whatsoever. Same goes for most of the world's population.

- The study itself points out that the results are due to the widespread usage of alcohol compared to illicit drugs... then seemingly forgets it in the conclusion.
Think drink-driving is bad? Wait for widespread LSD-driving.
Think binge-drinking is bad? Wait for widespread binge-snorting.
And so on...


That said, marijuana is probably less harmful than alcohol.
But given that the average marijuana user is an insufferable vegan teen, gimme that Whisky.

[Acturus]

The article itself said that the reason for alcohol's higher numbers is because it is used more. There's nothing controversial about this.

Study: Alcohol is more legal than heroin, cocaine