The Drug Debate: Is Alcohol Worse than Drugs?
Is alcohol worse than drugs? When it comes to addiction and the drug debate, everyone seems to think that the worst types of addictive drugs are the illegal, illicit or prohibited substances. But why don’t we consider the full list of addictive drugs? The complete list of killer addictive substances contains two of the most damaging and addictive substances known to man. No, Ice (methamphetamine) or heroin, but alcohol and nicotine! And they are freely available in our society, the only restriction being age.
Despite the current ‘meth’, or Ice, epidemic which is constantly in the media, alcohol abuse is a far more pervasive and widespread problem. I acknowledge that the problems caused by addiction to Ice are dramatic, shocking and distressing for those involved. Furthermore, I certainly do not wish to trivialise the struggles faced by those afflicted, their families and friends. Yet the problems with meth and ice addiction ,by the numbers, are not as widespread in comparison with the absolute domination of alcoholism across our society. The sheer scale of use and acceptance of alcohol means that generations of families are not aware of the dangers of addiction to alcohol.
The drug debate seems to focus almost entirely on illegal and prohibited substances. The death statistics show that far the biggest problem is right in front of us. Alcohol is now considered acceptable. Every day. Eveat the shopping mall. All social gatherings. Every special occasion. And it’s more than acceptable – it’s expected.
Is alcohol worse than drugs? It’s certainly just as critical, but no one seems to think so.
Is Ice/methamphetamine more dangerous than alcohol?
If you watch the media, and listen to anecdotal stories, you would naturally believe that the Ice epidemic is responsible for an plague of deaths across the country. How much do we see or hear about alcohol deaths? According to the evidence in the media and in sympathy with the social consensus, it is customary to blame the worst addictions on Ice. But is that really the case?
Alcohol problems run much deeper
The problem with alcohol addiction is that we don’t even want to talk about it. The problems with alcohol in our society run far deeper than most people realise. The number of deaths from alcohol far outnumbers the deaths from ice. Addiction affects the families and friends of addicts no matter what the substance is. The damage done by addiction is the same no matter what type of drug. Alcohol, on the sheer weight of numbers is a killer on a giant scale and yet we just don’t talk about it.
In a recent article in the Australian Broadcast Commission news article, the head of the Head of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Gannon stated:
“Australia has a cultural problem with alcohol, and tens of thousands of Australians drink unsafely everyday”
So there it is – categorically, alcohol is worse than ice.
In further debate, the president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, Dr Wodak said both drugs were dangerous in different ways.
“If you’re counting tombstones, it’s alcohol. If you’re counting young lives, it’s ice”
But I’m compelled to make the point that alcohol is also damaging to the youth in our society, because it is not just the ice epidemic that affects the young people in our community.
I don’t wish to trivialise the problems caused by meth and ice addictions. I wish to sympathise equally with those families and friends whose loved ones are struck down by addictive substances of any kind. No matter whether it is your son or daughter, mother or father, or best friend at risk from addiction, then we all want them to get through this devastating problem. The question is alcohol worse than drugs is pointless to ask when faced with this particular scenario.
But we just don’t see alcohol as a risk
Just because alcohol is available at every street corner, and in every street mall does not mean it is safe. Just because we see our parents and our friends, our sport stars and our TV idols drinking alcohol does not mean it is healthy. Just because we can buy wine in bulk does not mean it is safe to drink too much. The fact that people think they’re doing the right thing by introducing children to alcohol in the relative ‘safety’ of their own homes does not take away the lethal nature of this poison.
How do we change the message for young people?
We need to change the message about the social acceptance of alcohol. Just because everyone else drinks alcohol is not a reason to encourage our children to drink. Nor is it a good reason to drink alcohol in front of our children. That is simply reinforcing the message to kids that alcohol is acceptable. It should not necessarily be a given that when they grow up, that they will drink alcohol just like everyone else. Because it is never safe to use an addictive substance.
The message has to come from parents
I believe that the most important messages children receive come from parents. Then, we parents needs to be mindful about that message. Ice addiction is a problem amongst young people, and the outcomes can be terrible. But the social acceptance of alcohol is also impressed upon young people. According to what they see on TV, on the sports field, and what they observe in the home, it’s usual to drink alcohol.
Maybe the outcomes would be different if youth received a different message?
Maybe we all need to think about the message we send to our youngsters through our own behaviour? Maybe we can change the social conditioning of our young people by changing our adult behaviours. Maybe we parents and adults can do better? Maybe we can provide better guidance that drugs of all kinds, especially alcohol and ice, are addictive and can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Maybe we can change those negative outcomes for ourselves and our families!
Maybe we won’t give up for ourselves, but we’ll give up for those that mean the world to us?
Is alcohol worse than drugs? What do you think? You’re welcome to comment, below.
