Alcohol - More Harmful to Society than Drugs.

Alcohol - More Harmful to Society than Drugs.

An interesting piece appeared a while back  in the Daily Mail.  In it Katherine Faulkner reported that scientists had found that alcohol is the most harmful drug overall and was in fact three times as harmful as cocaine and tobacco, according to a new scale that rates drug harm and the damage it does to both users and to wider society.

The study said that if drugs were classified on the basis of the harm they do, alcohol would be class A, alongside heroin and crack cocaine.

The findings of the study, published in the Lancet showed that overall alcohol scored 72 out of a maximum ‘harm’ score of 100, compared to 55 for heroin and 54 for crack cocaine.

And while the most dangerous drugs to individual users were judged to be heroin, crack cocaine and then crystal meth - alcohol was deemed most harmful to society, followed by heroin and then crack.

Many of us will know someone whose life has been wrecked by alcohol.  There is the sterotypical domestic violence scenario with a boozed up man attacking his wife, drink-fuelled problems on the street and the tragic death toll on our roads from drink drivers.  All of a sudden it is looking like we could agree with the Professor.  And a big part of the problem with alcohol is that it is legal. 

If you wanted to take crack cocaine you certainly could not stroll down the street and enjoy it in public with friends in the same way as you could order a drink in a bar.  So what is wrong with alcohol?  What does overuse of alcohol do to our bodies? 

Well there are the chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells); pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas); various cancers, including liver, mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus; high blood pressure; and psychological disorders. Then there is the incidence of  unintentional injuries, such as motor-vehicle traffic crashes, falls, drowning, burns and firearm injuries.  Alcohol can lead to violence, such as child abuse, homicide, and suicide.  And alcohol is well known to have the ptotential to harm a developing foetus if a woman drinks while pregnant, with many well recorded foetal alcohol sepctrum disorders. 

Alcohol abuse or dependence leads people to live lives that are dominated by drink They lose their jobs lie and steal, they lose their persecptive on life and due to the effect of alcohol on the skin and on many aspects of their health, they age very rapidly. The effects on the families and on the lives of alcoholics cannot be understated.  It can and does cause broken marriages, lost jobs and ruined lives. 

With alcohol all around us every day, what makes some of us drink too much and others manage to keep their drinking within normal limits?   There is a lot of debate around whether we can have a natural disposition to do things to excess, (an addictive personality) or whether the environment we are brought up in or find ourselves living in is to blame.

Whatever the reason that a person starts to drink, if he or she cannot stop, or finds that drinking has taken over their life, then one thing we are aware of is that it is going to be a life long struggle.   I heard one alcoholic speaking recently on the radio about his addiction.  He was asked if, having stopped drinking some 2 years before, he was now no longer considered an alcoholic.  He replied that he would always be and alcoholic.  He said that he was aware that he could easily relapse and he was ready to meet that challenge head on if it happened.  This is undoubtedly the best way to go.  With any addiction thinking that because you have stopped for a while means the battle is over and the war is won may be unwise.  Keeping your guard up, being vigilant and getting support gives by far the best chance of success in beating any addiction. 

The days of treating Alcohol as a sort of grown up treat are over I am afraid.  Like heroin and crack cocaine, alcohol is a drug and as such it needs to be treated with respect. 

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Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio