Is alcohol really a drug?
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By Tim Woodley
Is alcohol a drug like cannabis or cocaine? Should I treat it like one or is it ‘different’? Is it safer or more dangerous? Clear to some, the fact remains that many adults in the UK have a limited understanding of the realities and dangers of heavy alcohol consumption.
First things first: Yes, alcohol is a drug – a dangerous one. Perceived as safer by many due to its legality and prevalence in popular media and binge drinking culture, alcohol is nevertheless a drug that kills thousands every year. Behind those deaths are the sad stories of families and social circles ripped apart and, in most cases, the bleak and private spiral of addiction.
This is even more worrying as nearly a third of people (29%) are reporting that they have drunk more alcohol than they normally would during COVID-19 lockdown, according to a major new study by the Policy Institute at King’s College London in partnership with Ipsos MORI.
Colin Drummond, Professor of Addiction Psychiatry from the...
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