Alcohol Is a Drug

Alcohol is a drug by any definition you want to use.

How many times have you heard someone say, “Drugs or alcohol,” like “I don’t do drugs or alcohol?” That implies that alcohol is not a drug—that it is different in some way. You might say that it is legal. Therefore, it is not a drug. I don’t understand that.

Alcohol is illegal if you are under the age of 21. So it’s a drug if you’re twenty, but not a drug on your next birthday? What about Britain and the European Union? If you’re twenty, alcohol is a drug in the United States, but once you get off the plane in London, it’s not?

Alcohol was illegal, and now it’s not. If alcohol is not a drug, then it never was and never will be. A government can call something whatever it wants, but it cannot change the nature of something. Marijuana is legal in many states. Until recently, everyone considered it a drug. I expect that heroin will be legal soon. That doesn’t mean it’s not a drug, and more importantly, it doesn’t mean it’s safe.

The point I am making is that you shouldn’t fool yourself into thinking that heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine are bad, but alcohol is good because it’s not a drug. Alcohol is the same as everything else. It has upsides and downsides.

Some say that heroin is different. It can kill you. Alcohol kills more people than drug overdoses. Okay, what about addiction? Scientists argue which chemical is more addictive. I don’t really care. Alcohol, nicotine, coffee, and heroin are addictive. For some people, chocolate is addictive.

I wrote a blog that all drugs are bad. I stand by it. Alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin affect our thinking ability, the most important distinguishing feature of humans. I didn’t say that we should prohibit their use. Most things have both good and bad features. It is up to you to decide if the good outweighs the bad. I don’t want to do anything to affect my mind, so I don’t drink alcohol or do any of the drugs I have mentioned. My wonderful wife has an occasional drink. She enjoys it and never has a drink if she has to do something important, such as drive. If I could have a single drink without the risk of drinking more, I might have an occasional drink. I won’t risk it.

The point of this post is that alcohol is a drug. It is the same as any other substance that alters our thinking. If you think that certain substances are bad because they are labeled drugs, but alcohol is fine because it is not a drug, you are kidding yourself. If you drink alcohol, do it with intent, with the full knowledge that there are risks to drinking.