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British Drugs chief: Alcohol more dangerous than ecstasy, LSD and cannabis (pg. 2)
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| SYSTEM-J |
| Heroin is far more addictive than alcohol, unless I'm much mistaken. |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by Groundhog Boy
You're reading comprehension is abysmal.
In other words, you are reading this as though tobacco, cannabis, LSD & ecstasy are all worse than alcohol, which is the complete opposite of everything said in the article. |
No, I read it as saying that tobacco etc. are less dangerous than alcohol, because they have a lower rank. I see the ranking looking something like this (example):
1. Barbiturates
2. Methadone
3. Heroin
4. Cocaine
5. Alcohol
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?
9. Tobacco
10. LSD
11. Ecstasy
12. Cannabis
I'm pretty sure this is the correct general picture, based on the article. |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Heroin is far more addictive than alcohol, unless I'm much mistaken. |
Ultimately it's hard to say, since the populations who use them are pretty different. But even most people who try heroin do not get addicted and go on to abuse it. The "one try and you're hooked" thing is simply a useful myth for government anti-drug programs. |
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| Domesticated |
Ha ha, this guy has so been taking pills and "seen the light".
| quote: | Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Why does he consider alcohol less dangerous than heroin? Is it because of danger from infected needles or something?
Unlike with alcohol, almost no one dies from heroin withdrawal, or even has serious medical complications, and if there were standardized dosages and purity levels far fewer people would die from overdose. |
1. People don't die from heroin withdrawal, they die from overdose, which is extremely easy in comparison with other drugs, even with standardised dosages and purity. I saw 3 in 4 years between the age of 10 and 14.
2. Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs available to man.
3. Heroin withdrawal is one of the worst known withdrawals that a person can experience. I've never heard of people dying, but it does have a profound effect on your body. Heroin, like morphine, works by gradually replacing your endorphin system. Endorphins are the neurotransmitters that signal pleasure in the human body. Once one becomes fully dependent on heroin, it means that to experience pleasure they must have some of the drug in their system. Without this, you will enter a state of sheer anhedonia, and it apparently takes two weeks of intense pain and misery before endorphins start to work correctly again. It also carries serious risk of convulsions, seizures and things of that nature.
4. Heroin and other opiates actually seem to have no degenerative effect on your body other than that described above. In this sense, they are less harmful that alcohol, but I'd say the other 3 points cancel this one out.
Can you die from alcohol withdrawal? I've never heard of that before. I didn't think the mode of addiction was serious enough. |
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| Domesticated |
| quote: | Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Ultimately it's hard to say, since the populations who use them are pretty different. But even most people who try heroin do not get addicted and go on to abuse it. The "one try and you're hooked" thing is simply a useful myth for government anti-drug programs. |
The "one try and you're hooked" line is certainly a myth, but the problem is that no one ever tries it once. |
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| Groundhog Boy |
| quote: | Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
No, I read it as saying that tobacco etc. are less dangerous than alcohol, because they have a lower rank. I see the ranking looking something like this (example):
1. Barbiturates
2. Methadone
3. Heroin
4. Cocaine
5. Alcohol
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?
9. Tobacco
10. LSD
11. Ecstasy
12. Cannabis
I'm pretty sure this is the correct general picture, based on the article. |
The reason that you have 3 ? marks is because you can't read
1. Coke
2. Heroin
3. Barbituates
4. Methadone
5. Alcohol
6. Ecstasy
7. LSD
8. Cannabis
9. Tobacco |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by Domesticated
1. People don't die from heroin withdrawal, they die from overdose, which is extremely easy in comparison with other drugs, even with standardised dosages and purity. I saw 3 in 4 years between the age of 10 and 14. |
You saw this in people who were not taking any other drugs, were using standardized dosages, and had no health conditions that would interact with heroin? It is not common at all for otherwise healthy people to die from a heroin overdose. People who die from so-called "heroin overdose" are usually those with other health problems that interact with the drug's respiratory depressant effect or those who drink while taking it:
http://www.peele.net/lib/heroinoverdose.html
Obviously people who are sick shouldn't be taking heroin recreationally, just as they shouldn't drink large amounts of alcohol.
| quote: | | 2. Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs available to man. |
Benzodiazepines are worse, easily. |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by Groundhog Boy
The reason that you have 3 ? marks is because you can't read
1. Coke
2. Heroin
3. Barbituates
4. Methadone
5. Alcohol
6. Ecstasy
7. LSD
8. Cannabis
9. Tobacco |
But he said that tobacco should rank "ahead" of cannabis, LSD, and ecstacy, which would mean it would be closer to the top, no? A person "ahead" in a race is the person nearer to first place... |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by Groundhog Boy
The winner of this race is the most harmful drug, so yes, cannabis, LSD and ecstacy should be a lower number. |
He said tobacco should be "ahead" of them, though. So why should they be nearer the top than tobacco? |
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| Sunsnail |
| If alcohol is fifth BEHIND heroin, then tobacco being AHEAD of lsd would make lsd 10. not 6. , agreeing with brian here |
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| Groundhog Boy |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sunsnail
If alcohol is fifth BEHIND heroin, then tobacco being AHEAD of lsd would make lsd 10. not 6. , agreeing with brian here |
So, fill in the ? marks.
I'm not going to say this is the best written article, btw. |
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| Sunsnail |
Not sure, here's a different article
| quote: | | Tobacco would come ninth on the list and cannabis, LSD and ecstasy "while harmful, are ranked lower at 11, 14 and 18 respectively". The ranking is based on physical harm, dependence and social harm. |
http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...56fUqVILXg8aUaQ |
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