Detrimental effects of drugs. Is there a "healthiest" drug?
Discussion
I've finished my weeks work earlier than expected, so have rewarded myself with a few bottles of Tyskie. And after a few bottles of Tyskie, the following thought has occurred to me: Alcohol is a known carcinogen, and carcinogens are widely regarded as Bad. Wiki says that it's responsible for about 3% of cancers, but they seem to be mainly cancers of the throat and all the places where alcohol sloshes around, and the liver, which has to clean up the mess.
It led me to wonder if we'd be better off taking more potent drugs with smaller volumes. LSD dosage, from my limited knowledge, is measured in mg and small differences can have a big effect, wheras the volume of alcohol in my Tyskie is 36ml/~29gram of alcohol, and it's effect on the brain is not really that massive by comparison- meaning we consume more of it
Has there ever been a study into drug potency and the detrimental effects of a given drug per mole?
Would we be healthier people drinking Rainbow Bull with a tiny amount of another drug instead of a Jägerbomb with a shot of Vodka? Has anyone composed a ratio of mental "kick" to toxicity chart?
I invite people more sober and better versed in biochemistry to discuss...
It led me to wonder if we'd be better off taking more potent drugs with smaller volumes. LSD dosage, from my limited knowledge, is measured in mg and small differences can have a big effect, wheras the volume of alcohol in my Tyskie is 36ml/~29gram of alcohol, and it's effect on the brain is not really that massive by comparison- meaning we consume more of it
Has there ever been a study into drug potency and the detrimental effects of a given drug per mole?
Would we be healthier people drinking Rainbow Bull with a tiny amount of another drug instead of a Jägerbomb with a shot of Vodka? Has anyone composed a ratio of mental "kick" to toxicity chart?
I invite people more sober and better versed in biochemistry to discuss...
Certainly an interesting topic, and I'm no expert (medically or as a consumer!) but impossible to quantify I would suggest: There's been various studies I've seen into how 'dangerous' different substances are, but they're very conflicting as everyone will rate both the high/ dangers differently...
Different drugs have different highs for different occasions for different people (think old ladies supping tea all afternoon vs. clubbers dropping E's)...
Some drugs will act in a very 'linear' fashion, others one's either either 'up' at a particular dosage point or not feeling much effect at all at lower dosages - and others have completely different effects at different doses!
It's also impossible to 'qualify' the long-term effect - e.g. LSD (I think?) doesn't create the physical addiction and that cigarettes and (for some people more than others) alcohol can, but neither over those can create the potentially terminal mindf
k that a heavy trips can bring on!
As for mixing substances, that brings in a whole new dimension... Booze of any sort and Redbull absolutely destroys me in terms of hangovers (probably due to the stimulant/ depressant mix) and I'm sure I read somewhere that Cocaine and alcohol mixed together causes the human body to generate a particular carcinogen as a byproduct - then factor in that outside of lab conditions in the real (almost always illegal) world nothing bought is ever likely to be 'pure' either and may well be cut with other psychoactive substances as opposed to 'just' Persil etc.!
Different drugs have different highs for different occasions for different people (think old ladies supping tea all afternoon vs. clubbers dropping E's)...
Some drugs will act in a very 'linear' fashion, others one's either either 'up' at a particular dosage point or not feeling much effect at all at lower dosages - and others have completely different effects at different doses!
It's also impossible to 'qualify' the long-term effect - e.g. LSD (I think?) doesn't create the physical addiction and that cigarettes and (for some people more than others) alcohol can, but neither over those can create the potentially terminal mindf
k that a heavy trips can bring on!As for mixing substances, that brings in a whole new dimension... Booze of any sort and Redbull absolutely destroys me in terms of hangovers (probably due to the stimulant/ depressant mix) and I'm sure I read somewhere that Cocaine and alcohol mixed together causes the human body to generate a particular carcinogen as a byproduct - then factor in that outside of lab conditions in the real (almost always illegal) world nothing bought is ever likely to be 'pure' either and may well be cut with other psychoactive substances as opposed to 'just' Persil etc.!
Not sure I want to be taking LSD as a replacement for a Friday night chill out beer. I enjoyed it when I tried it (a few times 
) but it's quite intense and I not sure now I have the mental strength to deal with the fall out.
I'd have thought that marijuana would be the least toxic replacement for alcohol provided it's ingested rather than smoked. Problem is it's a different sort of high and perhaps a bit more challenging in the mental department. Booze just helps switch off, weed can do that too but sometimes it gets you thinking some pretty deep things.
) but it's quite intense and I not sure now I have the mental strength to deal with the fall out.I'd have thought that marijuana would be the least toxic replacement for alcohol provided it's ingested rather than smoked. Problem is it's a different sort of high and perhaps a bit more challenging in the mental department. Booze just helps switch off, weed can do that too but sometimes it gets you thinking some pretty deep things.
This any use to you?
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
Full paper is paywalled, discussion of a presentation of it here;
http://internationalstudentblog.b.uib.no/nutt-visi...
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
Full paper is paywalled, discussion of a presentation of it here;
http://internationalstudentblog.b.uib.no/nutt-visi...
otolith said:
This any use to you?
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
Full paper is paywalled, discussion of a presentation of it here;
http://internationalstudentblog.b.uib.no/nutt-visi...
What's with the misspelling of amphetamine? http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P...
Full paper is paywalled, discussion of a presentation of it here;
http://internationalstudentblog.b.uib.no/nutt-visi...
glazbagun said:
Would we be healthier people drinking Rainbow Bull with a tiny amount of another drug instead of a Jägerbomb with a shot of Vodka? Has anyone composed a ratio of mental "kick" to toxicity chart
Different drugs work in different ways, so you can't compare them on a scale 1-10. You're getting deep into physiology, pharmocolgy and pharmacokinetics.Simpo Two said:
glazbagun said:
Would we be healthier people drinking Rainbow Bull with a tiny amount of another drug instead of a Jägerbomb with a shot of Vodka? Has anyone composed a ratio of mental "kick" to toxicity chart
Different drugs work in different ways, so you can't compare them on a scale 1-10. You're getting deep into physiology, pharmocolgy and pharmacokinetics.
Yeah, there are more feelings/highs/experiences that Sober<----->Drunk, and a large part of what makes alcohol so great is the drink that contains it, or else we'd all be shotting cheap vodka after a stressful day/winning a Grand Prix.
An interesting point from Prof. Nutt* when there was discussion about upping the classification on marijuana is that that as a drug classification goes up it becomes harder to do research on them, so it can be pretty hard to understand the effects of some drugs.
* the former drugs advisor to government who was fired for actually trying to look at the risks of drugs, his Equastry paper makes some interesting points
* the former drugs advisor to government who was fired for actually trying to look at the risks of drugs, his Equastry paper makes some interesting points
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