Although most people think the use of illicit drugs is far worse than alcohol abuse, research done as far back as 2010 by a British government neuropharmacologist advisor found this was not true. David Nutt, MD, of Imperial College London, and his colleagues’ research showed that alcohol was more harmful than two of the most popular illicit drugs, crack and heroin.
According to the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ICSD), on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 indicated no harmful effects and 100 showed the greatest harm, alcohol rated 72 while Heroin was 55, Crack 54, Crystal Meth 33, and Cocaine 27. Interestingly, tobacco was far worse than LSD, with tobacco rated at 26 and LSD at 7.
Although this may be surprising news to the layperson, those in the medical profession have linked alcohol use to as many as 60 diseases. ”Alcohol does all kinds of things in the body, and we’re not fully aware of all its effects,” explained alcohol researcher James C. Garbutt, MD, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in an interview with WebMd. “It’s a pretty complicated little molecule.”
Mortality Rates
The National Institute of Drug Abuse, a government website, says, “Drug-related deaths have more than doubled since the early 1980s. There are more deaths, illness, and disabilities from substance abuse than from any other preventable health condition. Today, one in four deaths is attributable to alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use.”
Deaths from abuse of alcohol or drugs are often attributed to medical complications.
These may include:
· Overdose
· Cardiac arrest
· Blood infections
· Pathogens
· Tainted toxins in drugs
· Respiratory failure
· Compromised immune systems
· Kidney failure
Treatments
Treatment for alcohol and drug addiction is complex. Usually, the treatment depends on the type of drug that is being treated. The duration for successful treatment averages at least 90 days. The ideal treatment time is 120 days. Shorter treatments due to costs have often resulted in relapse.
Although the treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction is different, they do share two common modalities: the use of medication and behavioral modification.
Medications
Medications are used to ease withdrawal symptoms that arise during detoxification. This is only the first stage of treatment and those who only rely on this treatment relapse to full-scale addiction shortly afterward.
Depending on the type of drug addiction, the drugs vary. However, generally speaking, naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram, and topiramate are used for alcoholism. Meanwhile, for opioid addiction, treatment usually consists of methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.
Behavioral Treatments
Behavioral treatments are divided between outpatient behavior therapy and residential treatment.
The following treatments have been shown to be the most effective: cognitive–behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, motivational interviewing, and motivational incentives.
Those with residential treatment also benefit from therapeutic communities.
A Deadly Myth
Since alcohol is legally available and the war against drugs has focused on the harmful effects of illegal drugs, most Americans think that drinking alcohol is less harmful than taking drugs. They are unaware of the research. Consequently, 1 out of 4 Americans drink an alcoholic beverage each day, and 12 percent of these have more than one drink. In fact, the statistics get even worse. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism consider 1 in 12 Americans alcoholics or alcohol abusers.
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20101101/alcohol-more-harmful-than-crack-or-heroin
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction
http://www.lapalomatreatment.com/mortality-rates-drug-alcohol-use/
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