Why Drugs Are Bad

Nearly everyone has heard that drugs are harmful. I go a step further. Drugs are bad.

Nearly everything can be harmful. Smoking causes cancer, driving leads to car accidents, seeing friends can lead to respiratory illnesses. I rarely say that anything is good or bad. I don’t think cigarettes are necessarily bad. They are certainly the leading preventable cause of serious illness, but perhaps for some people, cigarettes provide benefits that outweigh the risks.

But I believe drugs are bad. I see no reason not to call alcohol a drug. It is arbitrary that we consider alcohol something different than cannabis or even heroin. Cannabis is from a natural plant, alcohol is made from fruit and grain, and heroin is made from the poppy plant. No difference. Many people can drink alcohol in small enough amounts to cause little risk or harm. You can have a drink every week or two and not drive, and your risk may be zero. It may even have benefits. But remember that heroin works similarly to morphine and other opiates, and we know that opiates have benefits. I wouldn’t want to go without an opiate if I broke my leg.

So, why do I think drugs are bad? The drugs I mentioned above and others, affect our minds and brains if taken in sufficient doses. That is part of the reason people use drugs. I am not talking about the occasional drink or marijuana cigarette. I am talking about heavier use, enough to alter our thinking. Our ability to think, plan, consider our lives, and be productive is what separates humans from animals. The iconic commercial about your brain on drugs wasn’t quite on point. It is your mind that matters. Animals have brains.

We have a rational mind, as the stoics said so many years ago, and Ryan Holiday teaches in his books. Our rational mind allows us to be productive and create a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. We can set a goal and work to achieve it. Why would I want to weaken that rational mind? That is what alcohol and drugs do, unless you are one of the few who can do it occasionally and in moderation.

You shouldn’t need studies to convince you that drugs and alcohol adversely affect the brain and our minds. But here are a few: alcohol can cause a range of cognitive problems, but a study I recently found shows that drinking and passing out causes the most harm. Opiates have also been shown to harm our thinking. Everyone knows what heroin can do, so here’s a study, one of many, on oxycodone.

What about cannabis? So many people say it is safer than alcohol. Maybe so, but it affects the mind, at least when taken regularly. Here’s a study, again one of many. (A subscription is required so I cannot send the full study.)

We live in a time when alcohol and drugs are becoming normalized. At most restaurants, the first thing the server asks is, “Can I get you a drink?” Cannabis is legal in more and more states, and heroin is being decriminalized. There is a good argument for some decriminalization, and I am not saying we should try banning alcohol again. I do not intend to ever try drugs, and I plan to never drink alcohol again.

We are the only beings on earth (and possibly in the entire universe) that can think and plan. Chemicals that weaken our minds diminish our uniqueness, weakening the one thing that makes us special. There is definitely a time to relax and enjoy life. It is up to each of us to decide how much we are willing to give up for that enjoyment and relaxation.