Health: Alcohol Study

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Having a drink has become an American way of life for many, and most experts say moderate alcohol consumption is safe. But a study in the Lancet says alcohol is more dangerous than heroin and crack cocaine.

"Yes, I think it is more dangerous. More people use it without thinking about it," said Brenda Graham, from Manchester, England.

"Alcohol is a I guess a powerful drug, but more dangerous than crack and dope, I don't know," said Blayney Stukes, from North Philadelphia.

British researchers looked at a variety of factors including how addictive and harmful a substance is and its impact on family life and social services. They concluded that alcohol was most destructive because it's so widely used and can have devastating consequences.

"The fact that this study sees alcohol as a drug is really important," said Mike Harle, President of Gaudenzia Incorporated, which operates local substance abuse programs. He says many people don't realize how potentially addictive and destructive drinking can be.

"It's a kind of hidden disease of denial that no body talks about until something really bad happens," said Mike.

Many experts are challenging the new British study saying heroin and cocaine can be even more dangerous than alcohol, but the illegal drugs are used by far fewer people.

The National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP for information on substance abuse treatment facilities.

RELATED LINKs:
Alcohol Information- http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcohol.html
Alcoholism Information- http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/FAQs/General-English/Pages/default.aspxSubstance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator- http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/
Gaudenzia- http://www.gaudenzia.org/

Reported by: Stephanie Stahl, CBS 3 Medical Reporter