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Would you regard alcohol as a "hard drug"?

Discussion in 'Alcohol' started by amethyst, Jul 3, 2015.

  1. amethyst

    amethyst Community Champion

    I wonder whether alcohol can be put into the same league as cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. It obviously depends on how much alcohol one consumes. For example, I have seen hard core alcoholics who were all dried out and shriveled up, with their brains obviously suffering from serious damage. They didn't seem all that different from meth addicts to me. I suppose it's a question of time. Some drugs turn you into a zombie in a short period of time, whereas others work slower. What are your thoughts on this?
  2. Aescopri

    Aescopri Active Contributor

    Well, here's what the people at Dictionary.com say a "hard drug" is:
    [​IMG]
    "A narcotic that is considered relatively strong and likely to cause addiction." Yeah, alcohol is a drug that can cause addiction, but not as much so as some other drugs like tobacco and marijuana. Most people consider alcohol a soft drug because they can take a sip regularly and not be deprived of "juice" like drug addicts are without their hard drugs.
    I would also argue that alcohol isn't a hard drug. I've taken some sips of it as a child, and haven't got addicted to it in my whole life. I occasionally take a sip, as with many friends, but I'm not hooked or dependent on it.
    You're not likely to find someone who occasionally smokes marijuana and quits whenever they wish.
  3. Rainman

    Rainman Community Champion

    Some drugs can neither be classified as soft or hard drugs. Most narcotics generally are classified as hard drugs but what really makes hard drugs very different from other drugs is they can also be injected straight into the bloodstream which makes them more dangerous [for the addict] than the other "soft" drugs.

    So since alcohol can't be injected into the bloodstream although it is highly addictive it isn't a hard drug.
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2015
  4. FuZyOn

    FuZyOn Community Champion

    Alcohol isn't really as bad as a drug like heroin for example. I wouldn't put alcohol in the hard drugs group, just because it isn't that addictive as marijuana, tobacco and so on.
  5. rightct

    rightct Community Champion

    Well, the most notable difference between alcohol and the rest of those hard drugs is that you can't occassionally use the latter, wehereas the former can be used and not have any kind of consequences whatsoever. So, in my strictly own opinion, it can't be considered a hard drug, because, well, it really isn't one.
  6. JoshPosh

    JoshPosh Community Champion

    Because alcohol is widely accepted I consider it to be the most dangerous right now. Some people handle their liquor and others go off of the deep end and commit crazy havoc on the world. Some lead to death. People look at narcotic and what not as public enemy #1. But I believe has a stronger effect in everyone's community.
    dechantajones and JonnyMacdonald like this.
  7. Auril

    Auril Active Contributor

    I find it very interesting it's not considered a hard drug. As Josh mentioned, it's so widely accepted, and I think that might be a big part of why it's not been reclassified as dangerous. The effects long term and/or heavy use can have on the body are so destructive. Not to mention the number of deaths caused by drunk driving. If it were to be considered a hard drug, I think it would end up classified right up there with heroin. Will never happen though as it is such an ingrained part of our culture.
    JonnyMacdonald likes this.
  8. harold

    harold Community Champion

    Yes alcohol is very dangerous when misused. As long as alcohol can cause a person to lose his or her senses, it can be considers as a hard substance. The simple truth is the fact that it is not as toxic and dangerous as cocaine and the other hard substances, but yes, it is a dangerous and hard substance that should be avoided.
    JonnyMacdonald likes this.
  9. henry

    henry Community Champion

    Well, to me, it all comes down to how much alcohol you consume. Alcohol in small quantities is good for you. Now, if you're the type of person who likes to get really wasted on booze, then, yes, it can be pretty hard.
    dechantajones likes this.
  10. pwarbi

    pwarbi Community Champion

    I'm not sure it's that easy to put different drugs into hard or soft categories to be honest. Like others have said, especially with alcohol it will affect different people in different ways and so while it can be dangerous, just how dangerous is up to the person consuming it.
  11. xTinx

    xTinx Community Champion

    I won't say alcohol is a soft drug because it has the power to make you drunk and lose consciousness. It's somewhat of a mid-range or semi-hard drug depending on the amount you consume. So it's basically a gray area.
  12. Cheeky_Chick

    Cheeky_Chick Community Champion

    You can certainly cause a lot of damage with alcohol, and as a result of this I do believe that it can be seen as a hard drug - especially when you have it in a high percentage volume, which you can often buy relatively cheaply from off the supermarket shelf. You should always be careful, because things can still be very dangerous despite the fact that they are freely available for whoever wants to buy them, providing that they are adults. Lots of problems have been caused by alcohol, so it should always certainly be considered with great care.
  13. SarahWorksAtHome

    SarahWorksAtHome Community Champion

    I think it's a "gray" area, really. It isn't really a "hard drug" by most definitions. Most do not consider it one. There are so many people that can have a drink socially or drink on occasion without having any addiction or dependency on it that I personally don't think it would classify as one.
    However, I think it could become a "hard drug" for an addict. Someone with a chemical dependency issue or an addictive personality should fear it and stay away from it as if it were a hard drug and not a harmless drink.
  14. bluedressed

    bluedressed Community Champion

    No. Just because some people get addicted to it very hard does not mean that the thing in itself is a hard addictive substance. People who go overboard often do it because of different reasons in their lives (be it culture, trauma, habit, coping mechanism, or just because it's so frigging cold like in Mother Russia or Finland...!), not that they had a few drinks and then their bodies started getting used to it and craving more right away.
  15. amin021023

    amin021023 Community Champion

    I couldn't agree with you about addiction of Marijuana, since I've seen many people who use it occasionally and seen many other who easily went sober for month...
    and another thing, take tobacco as an example, it is considered as a soft drug but it's way more addictive than Marijuana and Alcohol and many other drugs so you can't categorize drugs based on addiction.
  16. Marie92

    Marie92 Active Contributor

    No, I do not consider alcohol a hard drug. However, it is addictive. It is okay to drink in moderation, unlike other drugs. It doesn't matter how small the amount, cocaine is not a drug that can be considered moderately when taken. It can cause damage from day one along with a few other drugs. It is very addictive. However, alcoholism is very prevalent therefore use caution when drinking.
  17. CrowdedHighways

    CrowdedHighways Active Contributor

    I wouldn't exactly consider alcohol to be a hard drug, no. But alcohol can have even harsher psychological effects on a person than some hard drugs. For instance, it makes you violent like almost no other drug does.
  18. vegito12

    vegito12 Community Champion

    Some people drink more than they can handle and say things or do things which can lead to relationship break-ups which can cause stress and emotional problems for the person. I do think alcohol can be addictive as a person can start to rely on it and this can use money, and time as, well as this can cause a person to view alcohol as a friend. Alcohol can be viewed as a drug but may not be viewed as a hard one as some people don't get addicted to it like other drugs.
  19. Adrianna

    Adrianna Community Champion

    Wow, yeah alcohol is not just alcohol apparently. I think that it is a catalyst of the other drugs. Somehow people think and do things that they would not if they were sober. It's the legal gateway. It opens the door. I've often in the past when I got drunk had ideas float into my head that I enjoy to myself but don't act on. Really off the wall stuff. It is mind altering. There is just a ton of things in alcohol that are questionable.
    The same category? No, obviously it is not but there is a possibility that these companies are putting drugs in the alcohol. Whether it's from pharmaceutical companies or whatever. If Coca-cola has put cocaine in SODA then who is to say the alcohol companies aren't. I say they are. Something is seriously wrong with it.
  20. L_B

    L_B Community Champion

    I don't consider alcohol a hard drug but it can do as much damage if not.more to families. Alcohol can be a terrible thing if misused. It is every bit as bad as hard drugs are, if not worse.