LaFemme

An important article for all to read. (In my opinion:-)

Study: Alcohol 'most harmful drug,' followed by crack and heroin - CNN.com

Next time you find yourself wishing you were "normal", looking back at your drinking nostalgically or wishing you could have just one drink, remember that alcohol is a drug and a devastating one at that:-)

Happy Monday all!

Sally1009

Thanks, Lafemme, very interesting article. I have often wondered why, for example, smoking has been cracked down on so much in recent years in comparison to alcohol, which is still socially validated. I wish the government would do the same against drinking, but don't see much hope - politicians enjoy their wine too much!!

AlcoholicOrNot

Yes, "harmful" in the sense that it ultimately has the highest adverse impact and costs on society as a whole.

Much of its harm, in my opinion, can be attributed to its extremely large user-base in relation to heroin, crack, etc.

I've once heard that alcohol would have never been legalized if the powers that be, could have foresaw the effects it would end up having on society.

LaFemme

That's why there was prohibition...the powers that be did see the dangers of the drug, plus women got the right to vote.

Apparently people drank more per capita in the late 1800's than today. I read a journal of the history of my area and they talk about people whose lives are ruined by alcohol frequently. This was back in the late 1700's New England.

Zencat

Great article to point out LaFem.

Yes, believe it or not there are people out there (way out here) that think alcohol is not a drug, in the sense of outer harmful substance of addiction. IMO that possibly is denial at work or simply being miss informed.

CarolD

I watched the TV show "The Doctors" this morning.

The ER doctor...don't know his name....brought up the topic
of alcohol consumption and strokes.
He said...."Stroke %'s raise after 1 drink...for 2 hours.
24 hours they drop to 33% less than normal.

Hmmm.....ok.....I
So if you don't have a stroke quickly
you can try again later in the day?

And that doctor....who is keen on healthy habits
ended by saying he was still going to have a
few beers before dinner. ....

Not on topic or maybe it is.

TheEnd

I believe the reason for this is because when you smoke you are affecting other people, when you are drinking you only affecting yourself, unless you drink or drive or do other illegal things that can be associated with it.

Anyway, alcohol has caused me way more problems than any "illegal" drug. Besides, for the legality issues, I have never gone crazy and been on some out of control 3 day binge from using any type of drug like I have with alcohol. Not that it couldn't happen, but that's just my experience, and I have tried everything under the sun.

GreenAces

Yeah I saw that article today aswell.. I gotta say that I agree with it pretty much 100%

LaFemme

Regarding the adverse effects of smoking on non-smokers...typically they point to family members who are effected by being around smoking family members having adverse health effects. Family member's of alcoholics suffer a great deal of harm from being around a drinker...but its pyschological not physical. At least until that person becomes an addict themselves.

LaFemme

Carol...I think that was on topic in a sideways way:-)

I was surprised to see this as the lead story on CNN online. If I lived 100+ years ago I would probably be a prohibitionist:-)

artsoul

Saw this on the news, too. Glad to see someone is finally recognizing all the damage alcohol does. The statistics on alcoholic related violence, car accidents, health problems and family issues are staggering.

Thanks for the post, LaFemme!

thisisme

It's nice to see articles stating what we all clearly know to be true.
Alcohol is by billions of dollars the most destructive substance on this planet.
It even outpaces wars.
Alcohol does nothing and takes all.

Stang

I know that, and you know that but telling people this is like pissing in a 90 mph wind. I think people will defend alcohol more rabidly than their religion. You haven't been able to advertise cigarettes on TV for 40 years but by God you can have all the beer comercials you want.

zbear23

Alcohol is also one of the very few drugs that will, over time, cause permanent, irreversable physical (and brain) damage. Most 'drug" deaths come from ODs and/or reckless behavior, and alcohol has it's share of those....but it is by far the winner in the category of killing people directly, without any outside causes. Destroys the body.

Pardon me for my cynicism, but I subscribe to DeepThroat's advice that, if you want the truth, follow the money. I think the decriminilization of "illicit" drugs in Portugal has pretty much destroyed any rational for selective criminalization. Drug use has not increased...if anything, it has decreased....as have deaths due to drug use. The most virulant (and profitable) problem with illicit drugs is the crime it engenders with the accompanying stratospheric profits: which are shared by the entire system of distribution as well as financial interests (banks) and perhaps most of all, our departments of justice which keep nonviolent, relatively non threatening citizens locked up at enormous cost. After nearly a century of our "war on drugs" (ever since the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act).....we've solved nothing, but have created a criminal underclass who are forever handicapped in nearly every aspect of their lives.....i.e., employment, voting rights, etc. And black males in our society stand a far better chance of imprisonment than they do of enroling in higher education. They also are hugely disproportionately imprisoned.....

All in all, our attitude towards drug use is pretty much governed by powerful interests, scare tactics (devil weed) and...of course.....money. For starters, do you suppose the powerful alcohol industry would ever willingly allow the competition of other drugs.....unless they controlled them? The war on drugs has seriously damaged the social fabric of our country....far more than drug use has.....and the fact is that the most dangerous drugs...in terms of deaths....are the legal ones.....booze and nicotine.

Go figure. Who benefits? I admire the Portuguese, who despite pressure from the European Union and the USA, went ahead with their decriminilization plan. In terms of reducing harm and being a social benefit....it has been remarkably successful. It has finally given the lie to the scaremongers.....the same folks who claimed that LSD damaged chromosomes and pot makes you insane.

Welcome to lala land......you know....land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE.

PS....it is estimated that the average alcoholic has a codependent sytem of from five to seven people. IOW.....they (we) are a scourge in our society, infecting far more individuals than is commonly believed.

I'm so happy that Jerry Brown won in California. LOL

blessings
zenbear

Ninsuna

I thought it was funny that that article came out just as I was trying to make up my mind about the pot propsition here in CA. It, of course went down on flames and and we still have to put up with Bud Light's "Here we go" campaign on TV. Mind you, I'm no fan of pot, but it tickled me to think of sticking it to the big drug cartels.

I know that AA literature states repeatedly that it does not oppose alcohol or support any political causes (such as prohibition) but I still really struggle with feelings of resentment and outrage when I see booze commercials, or one of my "normie" friends on Facebook joins the group "A glass of wine fixes everything". I never realised when I was drinking how much society as whole (outside of certain Asian and Muslim countries) loves thier booze and will defend it to the bitter end. Lol, I actually thought I was a rebel.

LaFemme

I lived in Asia for awhile and they are doing their best to join our booze loving ranks.

I am not anti-alcohol for myself, but knowing what it's capable of scares me for all the kids growing up in this culture. Kids who think it's "normal" for Mom and Dad to have a cocktail or 5 every night, and that when you get to a certain age you put aside the pop, milk, water, juice and drink booze with meals. And don't even get me started on the advertisements, nt only do they promote alcohol but 99.9% are sexist and misogynist!

least

I was a 'child of the sixties' back in the day... Smoked my share, and then some, of pot, tripped a lot... and then grew up and put it down. Never any problems with either of those substances. No cravings or trouble from it/them. Never sold my soul to the devil to get more. Never had a hair-of-the-dog thing the next day. (this is only my experience/opinion, as I know some people have a hell of a time with pot and such)

But drinking... made me into someone I hated and made me into a fake, a liar, an irresponsible jerk. So glad I no longer drink.

AA4life

This was on CNN too. I thought it was pretty interesting also...

Enough with celebrity 'rehab-abuse' - CNN

LaFemme

Good points...I both agree with the points and wonder if those in the public eye almost need a special type of rehab...they are addicted to being in the spotlight.