Study: Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin or crack'

[GreenLP]

I wonder if the Drug Warriors will be consistent and decide to resurrect the Temperance movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance) and push for alcohol prohibition again? Cause we know how well that worked the first time. :rolleyes:


Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin or crack'

The Guardian, Monday 1 November 2010

Alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the UK by a considerable margin, beating heroin and crack cocaine into second and third place, according to an authoritative study published today which will reopen calls for the drugs classification system to be scrapped and a concerted campaign launched against drink.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/01/alcohol-more-harmful-than-heroin-crack

[Feeding the Abscess]

Classic. Instead of moving towards legalization of other substances, a call for prohibition of alcohol takes form.

LOL!

[Dripping Rain]

lmao this is such a ridiculous BS study
In my life I am yet to see a heroin or crack addict who lives till theyre 60 let alone beyond that. Most people who drink alcohol live way past their 70s and 80s. I think the British are on their way to ban Alcohol

[GreenLP]

Classic. Instead of moving towards legalization of other substances, a call for prohibition of alcohol takes form.

LOL!
I've always said, even though I'm against any type of prohibition, that if pot should remain illegal, the US should be consistent and prohibit alcohol again. Hypocrisy sends the worse kind of message to kids than anything else.

[Feeding the Abscess]

You're comparing addicts to casual drinkers, while playing up longevity rates (most people do not live "way past" their 80s)?

Try again.

[Feeding the Abscess]

I've always said, even though I'm against any type of prohibition, that if pot should remain illegal, the US should be consistent and prohibit alcohol again. Hypocrisy sends the worse kind of message to kids than anything else.

I disagree, but I'm not insinuating that you're actually calling for prohibition. I understood your initial post to be sarcastic.

[dannno]

There was a study posted here not long ago showing that moderate alcohol drinkers lived longer than non-drinkers.

Also watched a brawl last night between about dozen really drunk people.

Hmm..

Also, not sure how cannabis didn't make it all the way to the very bottom of their list next to magic mushrooms.

[KurtBoyer25L]

One simple fact for me is that I've been around so many people who were high on different things, and I didn't always know until they said something. Even people dropping acid can just seem zoned out and pleasant. But you can ALWAYS tell when somebody is drunk. Slurring, standing too close, talking too close, too dramatic, repetitive, smelly, moody, threatened, violent, disgusting DRUNK! If it was an illegal drug made by mexicans it'd be considered the scourge of the new milennium.

[youngbuck]

I'd say that alcohol is by far the most insidious drug out there.

[Zippyjuan]

Alcohol abuse has had a dramatic effect on the life expectancy in Russia. Consider that there are probably greater numbers of people who abuse alcohol vs abuse cocaine and heroin and from a social standpoint, alcohol probably does cost more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8432271.stm

The problem for Mr Medvedev is that, historically, whenever Russia has tried to combat excessive drinking, illicit sales of alcohol have risen.

Experts estimate that bootleg vodka - often made after-hours in legal distilleries - makes up almost 50% of all vodka drunk by Russians.

Such liquor is unregulated and contributes heavily to the country's 35,000 deaths a year from alcohol poisoning.

The medical journal The Lancet earlier this year estimated that half of all deaths in Russia between 15 and 54 were alcohol-related.

[AGRP]

Dear Overlords,

Please ban alcohol and every other potentially lethal substance including water.

Help me save myself :(

[PeacePlan]

lmao this is such a ridiculous BS study
In my life I am yet to see a heroin or crack addict who lives till theyre 60 let alone beyond that. Most people who drink alcohol live way past their 70s and 80s. I think the British are on their way to ban Alcohol

I was a drug counselor in a prison drug treatment program. About 40% of the people in prison were there for drugs 20% sex or other crimes and 40 % for crimes they committed while drunk.

I can tell you some about heroin and other opiates. Heroin is highly addictive and daily use for about 30 days could be enough to cause a person who stops to have some withdrawals. There is no evidence that heroin/morphine/codeine/opium cause any damage to any organs or damage cells. They are addictive and cause withdrawal that consists of shaking hot and cold flashes. Addicts say it feels like a very bad case of the flu - they get goose bumps (why it is called cold turkey because of those bumps) and there legs tend to have muscle twitches and kick - thats why it is called kicking the habit.

Alcohol is also addictive but tends to take somewhat longer usage for any withdrawal symptoms. It does destroy cells and harm your body and organs. Liver disease and wet brain are the result from heavy alcohol usage. When an addicted alcoholic comes off alcohol there is a 25% chance he will die from withdrawal many times seeing things that are not there. That is where the term seeing pink elephants comes from.

Bottom line: If you are a heroin addict and are in withdrawal you will wish to hell you are dead because you feel so bad. If you are an alcoholic and in withdrawal you may end up dead. Never heard of any deaths from opiate withdrawal.

From about 1900 to about 1920 heroin was used to treat alcoholism with some success. At this time you could buy "all" chemicals at your local drug stores. In 1914 came the Harrison act and that started the controlling of chemicals. Funny how this started right at the same time the Fed and Income tax started.

Why heroin addicts don't live long is because it is illegal. They get things like aids and hepatitis C and have drugs that are cut with just about anything you can imagine. They get shot robbed and thrown in jail.......

I have always thought that alcohol was the worst drug.

Alcohol makes many people violent and do crimes when drunk...

Heroin calms you down and makes you sleepy. Because it is illegal and very high priced they do violent things to get that money - not when high but when coming down.

IMO no matter what we do about 10% of the public will become addicted to some type of mood altering chemical.

[Kregisen]

I was a drug counselor in a prison drug treatment program. About 40% of the people in prison were there for drugs 20% sex or other crimes and 40 % for crimes they committed while drunk.

I can tell you some about heroin and other opiates. Heroin is highly addictive and daily use for about 30 days could be enough to cause a person who stops to have some withdrawals. There is no evidence that heroin/morphine/codeine/opium cause any damage to any organs or damage cells. They are addictive and cause withdrawal that consists of shaking hot and cold flashes. Addicts say it feels like a very bad case of the flu - they get goose bumps (why it is called cold turkey because of those bumps) and there legs tend to have muscle twitches and kick - thats why it is called kicking the habit.

Alcohol is also addictive but tends to take somewhat longer usage for any withdrawal symptoms. It does destroy cells and harm your body and organs. Liver disease and wet brain are the result from heavy alcohol usage. When an addicted alcoholic comes off alcohol there is a 25% chance he will die from withdrawal many times seeing things that are not there. That is where the term seeing pink elephants comes from.

Bottom line: If you are a heroin addict and are in withdrawal you will wish to hell you are dead because you feel so bad. If you are an alcoholic and in withdrawal you may end up dead.

From about 1900 to about 1920 heroin was used to treat alcoholism with some success. At this time you could buy "all" chemicals at your local drug stores. In 1914 came the Harrison act and that started the controlling of chemicals. Funny how this started right at the same time the Fed and Income tax started.

Why heroin addicts don't live long is because it is illegal. They get things like aids and hepatitis C and have drugs that are cut with just about anything you can imagine. They get shot robbed and thrown in jail.......

I have always thought that alcohol was the worst drug.

Alcohol makes many people violent and do crimes when drunk...

Heroin calms you down and makes you sleepy. Because it is illegal and very high priced they do violent things to get that money - not when high but when coming down.

IMO no matter what we do about 10% of the public will become addicted to some type of mood altering chemical.

Very informative.

[oyarde]

Crap , guess I should have gone with the heroin instead of beer . Just another mistake after a lifetime of them . :)

[PeacePlan]

Crap , guess I should have gone with the heroin instead of beer . Just another mistake after a lifetime of them . :)

No I think you are better off with the beer as most likely you are not addicted. If you are addicted being addicted to alcohol is much harder on your body. Think about the hangover as telling you damage has been done. Many here have had surgery or something happen to them where they had morphine or other opiate pain killers prescribed and when it wears off there is no hangover.. That is because it is not doing the damage alcohol does.

[Brian4Liberty]

Alcohol is bad, Mkay? ;)

Once again, there is a difference between legality and advocacy. Some people can not seem to separate them. They want every whim legislated by big brother. Don't do drugs, teach your children not to use drugs. There is no need for government, prisons, Police and taxpayer money to be involved!

[Brian4Liberty]

Classic. Instead of moving towards legalization of other substances, a call for prohibition of alcohol takes form.

LOL!

Exactly how it works. Bring up anything, and the totalitarian, authoritarian statists want to get government involved.

[Brian4Liberty]

Many here have had surgery or something happen to them where they had morphine or other opiate pain killers prescribed and when it wears off there is no hangover.. That is because it is not doing the damage alcohol does.

Hold on there. A family member and a friend both had surgery this year. They hated the drugs used, and said they suffered "hangover" effects. As a matter of fact, they both ended up refusing further opiates. Drugs have side effects.

[dannno]

Hold on there. A family member and a friend both had surgery this year. They hated the drugs used, and said they suffered "hangover" effects. As a matter of fact, they both ended up refusing further opiates. Drugs have side effects.

They felt nauseous and had a headache the next day or they just felt tired or fuzzy? I've never heard of being sick from natural opiates (aka pure opium) or pharm opiates, which usually feel pretty clean (aka vicodin, morphine, deloted, oxycontin). Maybe depressed, but feeling ill seems odd.

I will say heroin is supposed to be bad cause it destroys red blood cells, it does actually cause you to get very ill after using for some time because of this. Other opiates that I'm aware of do not have this affect, which is why if drugs were legal opium addicts would tend away from heroin. Right now it is simply the easiest opiate you can get on a permanent basis, thanks to the drug war.

[oyarde]

They felt nauseous and had a headache the next day or they just felt tired or fuzzy? I've never heard of being sick from natural opiates (aka pure opium) or pharm opiates, which usually feel pretty clean (aka vicodin, morphine, deloted, oxycontin). Maybe depressed, but feeling ill seems odd.

I will say heroin is supposed to be bad cause it destroys red blood cells, it does actually cause you to get very ill after using for some time because of this. Other opiates that I'm aware of do not have this affect, which is why if drugs were legal opium addicts would tend away from heroin. Right now it is simply the easiest opiate you can get on a permanent basis, thanks to the drug war.

When I was a young guy in the service , every time you broke a bone , they would cast it up and send you back to work with an envelope full of vicodin or codeine and or some ibuprophen . I never could take any of it , made me sick . I just used aspirin and beer .

[LibertyBrews]

Heroine, alcohol, sigarettes, even pot is not good for you if you use to much of it obviously. The point is that people should be allowed to whatever they want with their own body, even if's destructive.

It's THEIR body, not the property of the government, although sometimes i begin to wonder. It's amazing really when you start to think how much we'd come to rely on government and statists, not even your own flesh and blood are holy anymore. Platon would applaud our society. The creation of a society where mankind is born and indoctrinated to serve the state.

[roho76]

lmao this is such a ridiculous BS study
In my life I am yet to see a heroin or crack addict who lives till theyre 60 let alone beyond that. Most people who drink alcohol live way past their 70s and 80s. I think the British are on their way to ban Alcohol

That should be interesting. They got their guns but I think they'll meet resistance trying to take the bottle away. The British love them some alcohol.

[oyarde]

That should be interesting. They got their guns but I think they'll meet resistance trying to take the bottle away. The British love them some alcohol.

Let them , I see a new business oppurtunity .

[awake]

The mental health professionals need an ever brewing series of concurrent crisis from which to feed on. It's sad, everyone these days has a group affiliation and lobby government mentality...

You can hear the cited experts basically implying 'government needs to do something; Hire my favorites to advise on the taxpayers dime; fund my group to control it'.

Create a problem, garner a political reaction, provide your own services as a solution.

[Jordan]

Wouldn't surprise me if a move was made to make alcohol illegal, especially considering the cost of treating the problem is socialized to everyone.

I've heard GB as a whole does have quite the drinking problem.

[awake]

Wouldn't surprise me if a move was made to make alcohol illegal, especially considering the cost of treating the problem is socialized to everyone.

I've heard GB as a whole does have quite the drinking problem.

They don't want it illegal, just funds from the drug war to prop up the shrink lobby.

[oyarde]

Wouldn't surprise me if a move was made to make alcohol illegal, especially considering the cost of treating the problem is socialized to everyone.

I've heard GB as a whole does have quite the drinking problem.

I do not think they will ever try to make it illegal here . No way they could come up with a way to replace all they revenue the get out of it .

[Clairvoyant]

lmao this is such a ridiculous BS study
In my life I am yet to see a heroin or crack addict who lives till theyre 60 let alone beyond that. Most people who drink alcohol live way past their 70s and 80s. I think the British are on their way to ban Alcohol

You are comparing casual drinkers to addicts, you should be comparing them to alcoholics or just comparing them to casual crack users but you won't even know who those people are.

[Clairvoyant]

Wouldn't surprise me if a move was made to make alcohol illegal, especially considering the cost of treating the problem is socialized to everyone.

I've heard GB as a whole does have quite the drinking problem.

I doubt it, not without something big to replace it with. They need something to keep people busy partying while they sell the farm to china.