Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin or crack'

Comments

  • #2
    unreggd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,835 ✭✭✭unreggd


    I've always thought this, for the exact same reasons


  • #3
    Lord TSC
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 42,487 Mod ✭✭✭✭Lord TSC


    Unfortunatly, I worry that some people will take this to mean the latter are quite fine since alcohol is accepted as being ok, rather than realising it's the former is as dangerous as the drugs.


  • #4
    koHd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,142 ✭✭✭koHd


    Sensationalist headline that will be spread ignorantly without reading all the facts. Alcohol has caused more problems for society because it is probably used by 95% of adults.

    Now get 95% of the adult population on heroin and watch **** fall to peices.

    Alcohol is bad in excess, yes. But this headline is bull****.


  • #5
    T runner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,307 ✭✭✭T runner


    koHd wrote: »
    Sensationalist headline that will be spread ignorantly without reading all the facts. Alcohol has caused more problems for society because it is probably used by 95% of adults.

    Now get 95% of the adult population on heroin and watch **** fall to peices.

    Alcohol is bad in excess, yes. But this headline is bull****.

    Whats your point? Its more harmful to society than stricnine although stricneen also gives more bang for its buck.

    Society has a complete blind spot to it. This week a teenager died of alcohol poisoning, there will be countless drunken beatings, injuries, falls, family disfunction progressions, people masturbating on planes etc. Drink is a commonality through all (not a mitigating factor) but maybe only in the first one will the role drink been be explained fully.


  • #6
    mickman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,661 ✭✭✭mickman


    saw a startling figure at the weekend

    every 7 hours in ireland someone dies from an alcohol related death - scary stuff


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    [-0-]
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,981 ✭✭✭[-0-]


    This is like comparing apples to oranges: half the metrics depend on popularity and the other half don't. Tobacco and cocaine rank equally because cocaine is less popular, but more harmful, thus the net impact "on society" is about the same. This is of course a fictitious way to compare substances. MDMA ranks near LSD, despite MDMA being orders of magnitude more dangerous, because it's a niche drug.

    It's kind of nonsensical to simultaneously say that metamphetamine is amoung the "most harmful" drugs, while MDMA (the MA meaning "methylamphetamine") is amoung the least.

    All psychoactive phenethylamines share a common risk profile. To portray one is signficantly less dangerous merely because it's comparatively unpopular is a....tactical misrepresentation. A terminological inexactiude. A lie.


  • #8
    Pace2008
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,587 ✭✭✭Pace2008


    [-0-] wrote: »
    This is like comparing apples to oranges: half the metrics depend on popularity and the other half don't. Tobacco and cocaine rank equally because cocaine is less popular, but more harmful, thus the net impact "on society" is about the same. This is of course a fictitious way to compare substances. MDMA ranks near LSD, despite MDMA being orders of magnitude more dangerous, because it's a niche drug.
    MDMA is a far more prevalent drug than LSD, which imo would fit more appropriately in the "niche" category. I'd say it'd be up there with cocaine as the most popular illegal psychoactive after cannabis. The reason MDMA ranks lowly is because the adverse effects are almost entirely related to the chemical's toxicity - behavioral problems and potential for addiction are also taken into account in the weighting, and these aren't serious issues with ecstasy.
    It's kind of nonsensical to simultaneously say that metamphetamine is amoung the "most harmful" drugs, while MDMA (the MA meaning "methylamphetamine") is amoung the least.
    They may share an amphetamine backbone, but MDMA and meth are two very different drugs with very different safety profiles.
    All psychoactive phenethylamines share a common risk profile.
    Mescaline is not toxic at a recreational dose, and there's a pretty wide margin between the effective dose and LD50.
    To portray one is signficantly less dangerous merely because it's comparatively unpopular is a....tactical misrepresentation. A terminological inexactiude. A lie.
    I think the study is supposed to act as a consciousness-raiser of sorts; an attempt to make people appreciate the more socially acceptable alcohol as a serious drug.

    It is misleading, though.


Advertisement