A panel of experts in Britain assessed 20 different drugs on the basis of the harm each does to both individual users and to others affected by their usage (society). Adding both individual and societal harms together, alcohol was judged the most harmful drug of all, followed by crack cocaine and heroin. A sophisticated technique called multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) was used to model the harms of the drugs evaluated.
Individual Consequences of Alcohol Addiction
Although heroin, crack cocaine and metamfetamine were the three drugs that were judged to be the most harmful to users, alcohol ranked fourth most harmful to individuals in The Lancet report.
According to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, long-term alcohol abuse has serious harmful effects on a number of the body’s organs. These harmful consequences include:
- alcoholic liver disease: Long term heavy drinking is the leading cause of sickness and death from liver disease.
- damage to the immune system: For two centuries, physicians have observed that heavy drinking can lead to illness and death from infectious diseases, from bacterial pneumonia to hepatitis C.
- Chronic alcohol abuse is a leading cause of several cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, and stroke.
- increased risk of bone fracture
Clearly those who abuse or are addicted to alcohol are damaging their health and probably shortening their lives.
Social Consequences of Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol was by far the most harmful drug to society of the 20 drugs assessed in The Lancet report. These social consequences included the following specific harms:
- injury: increased chance of injury to others (e.g., domestic violence, traffic accidents)
- crime: increased volume of acquisitive crime
- environmental damage: local environmental damage caused by use or production of the drug
- family adversities: family breakdown, loss of economic well-being, loss of emotional well-being, child neglect
- economic cost: health care, police, prisons, social services, etc.
- community: loss of social cohesion, decline in reputation of community
The three biggest social harms of alcohol were judged to be economic cost, injury, and family adversities, with no other drug nearly as bad as alcohol on these specific harms.
The Nature and Scope of Alcohol Abuse
In the U.S., approximately one in 12 adults (17.6 million) abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Alcoholism, or alcohol dependency, is a disease that includes several symptoms, including:
- a craving or strong urge to drink
- loss of control – not being able to stop drinking once drinking has started
- physical dependence, resulting in withdrawal symptoms when drinking stops (nausea, anxiety, shaking, sweating)
- developed tolerance – the need to drink more and more alcohol to get high
Many other developed countries also have issues with drinking problems, with an estimated five to six percent of their total populations addicted to or abusing alcohol. The social and economic costs of this alcoholism are very high.
Effective alcohol treatment options vary between weeks of detox and therapy on the one hand and 12-step approaches pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous on the other. Medications are also available for treating alcoholism. High intensity outpatient treatments such as a dozen or more weekly meetings can also be effective.
The Consequences of Alcohol Addiction are Huge and Merit Intervention
From the dreadful medical harms to alcoholics themselves to the numerous, tragic and costly consequences to others and society at large, alcohol deserves its nomination as the most harmful of all drugs. Every feasible effort should be made by family, friends, and communities, to intervene in and change the destructive behavior of alcoholics, for their own good and the well being of all.
Related Articles and References
Related articles on alcohol addiction include:
- The Effects of Alcohol Addiction on the Liver
- The Effects of Alcohol Addiction on the Brain
- The Effects of Alcohol Addiction on the Heart
- Cancers Associated with Alcohol Addiction
- How to Recognize Alcohol Addiction
Sources:
- Nutt, D.J., King, L.A. and Phillips, L.D. (2010) “Drug Harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis”, The Lancet, 376, (9752) 1558-1565.
- nih.gov, “Medical Consequences of Alcohol Abuse” (accessed November 20, 2010)
TLE101
Robert McKelvie - My experience in business and pursuit of learning over the years enables me to share some of my knowledge via the web.
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