November 1, 2010
By Brian Bujdos
Many people may not even consider alcohol a drug, but a new study says that alcohol takes a higher toll on society than any drug – and it’s not even close.
The study ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm – nine to the users themselves, and seven to society in general. A 100-point system was utilized, and alcohol scored a 72. The next-closest drug was heroin at 55 and crack cocaine at 54.
Some of the factors that the study considered included: physical and mental health, social harms including crime, family adversities, environmental damage, economic costs and international damage.
Although many drugs other than alcohol cause more harm to the user, alcohol by far causes more others. This is due to factors such as drunk driving and the fact that alcohol plays a part in a greater percentage of crime than most drugs, including heroin.
Also, the sheer number of people who drink plays a part in the widespread harm to society. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 17.6 million Americans either are addicted to alcohol or have problems controlling their consumption. This represents more than five percent of the population – quite substantial.
One reason that the researchers performed the study was to provide governments with a look at how they should classify drugs and their potential harm. Many people do not consider alcohol to be a nuisance because it is readily available and it is legal. Alcohol is socially acceptable, and therefore it does not carry the same stigma as illegal drugs like cocaine or meth.
Also, alcohol is a drug that, when taken in moderation, can be unharmful. It is generally accepted that men can have two drinks a day, and women can have one drink per day, without causing themselves or anyone else harm. Illegal drugs, and even the legal drug nicotine, cannot be taken at all in moderation without causing harm.
Although some critics of the study point to the diminished amount of harm that some drugs supposedly cause (alcohol was considered three times more harmful than cocaine or tobacco, and ecstasy reportedly causes just one-eighth the harm of alcohol), those in the medical community seem to agree that the study is valid in so much as it brings attention to the underestimated amount of harm that alcohol causes to the user and society.
Professor David Nutt of Britain’s Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs was the lead researcher for the study, which appears in the current month’s version of the medical journal The Lancet.
Read more health news articles on eDrugstore.
We specialize in providing our over 1,000,000 customers with relevant product and condition information created by our professional editorial staff which includes our team of medical writers, medical practitioners, and health educators. eDrugStore.com Staff on Facebook