Before we answer the question, is alcohol a drug? We need to take a thorough look at what is classified as a drug. What do famous drugs do to your system and how they affect your mental state. Once we do that we can compare the two and get a better understanding of how alcohol can be regarded.
Most strong drugs that are used today whether that be legally or illegally can cause a set of effects. Effects that can help us get close to the answer of, is alcohol a drug. Now, we know that in most cases drugs like LSD and cocaine are so strong they affect how your mind works and thus your behaviour.
Apart from that there are several physical effects that can come as well. Depending on the drug in use you can feel more energized or slowed down. When we consider this rough overview of how we classify drugs it is tough not to bundle alcohol with the rest. Is alcohol a drug? Well probably, given the effects it can produce.
This however is not that simple, and it is worthwhile digging a bit deeper in order to get a complete picture.
Is alcohol considered a drug on a drug test?
Usually urine based drug tests such as testing strips, cups or dip cards all use the same system when it comes to alcohol. They don’t search for the ethanol found in your alcoholic beverages, rather they look for a product of it. EtG is a metabolite produced in your body every time you intake alcohol.
If we were to look at this alone, then we could come to the conclusion that Alcohol is in fact not a drug, due to the fact that EtG is created in your system. Again, is alcohol a drug? Not as simple as we might have thought. Especially since studies have found that ethanol may not be the main culprit when producing the effects we spoke of earlier.
Is alcohol a drug? According to the CDC and other governing bodies of food production, alcohol can be considered a drug. The effects of louvered bodily energy as well as slurred speech and mood changes all indicate that alcohol does enough to be designated a drug. However it is not any substance in alcohol that produces this, it is a compound produced in your system, when you intake ethanol.
What is a drug and alcohol evaluation?
Drug and alcohol evaluations are drug screenings conducted in government institutions as well as ordinary workplaces across the US. Evaluations such as these are regularly conducted in police precincts, military bases and even when you are driving and the police stop you.
A drug and alcohol evaluation can help answer, is alcohol a drug? Because in the very name we see that they are classified as different substances. Maybe indicating that the two substances are in fact different. However in order to get a clearer picture of the differences we need to see how the drug testing tools work.
Drug and alcohol test
Screening tools based on the urine testing method work to find traces of drugs or similar substances in your system that are left over. They tend to work days after the effects of the drugs have worn off. If EtG can still be found in your system days after the alcohol has worn off then we might be dealing with a drug.
At the very least we are dealing with a substance that can produce a drug or poison in your system. EtG cannot be considered a normal substance, regular to your system. It is produced as a result of the body finding traces of ethanol in it. Once the traces are found EtG is produced and the effects of alcohol become pronounced.
Taking these conclusions into effect, we may have a conclusive answer to the question, is alcohol a drug? However, even if this definition is not yet set in stone there are things to watch out for. Alcohol can be as dangerous or even more dangerous to your life than other drugs on the market, be they legal or illegal.
Dangers with alcohol usage
When we move the question” is alcohol a drug” out of the way we may find that the dangers presented by continuous alcohol consumption can be substantial. Kidney failure, liver problems and brain damages are all an integral part of long term alcohol abuse. And those are just the well known ones.
The damage alcohol abuse can do to the lives of your friends, family and your community cannot be ignored. They can lead to job loss, family separations and violence, as well as jail time and lethal misjudgements. All of this combined makes Alcohol as dangerous as any famous drug on the black market.
Probably the biggest problem with alcohol abuse is that getting through rehab is not as simple as with other drugs. Alcohol is omnipresent in our everyday lives, birthdays, parties, and nights out. Most activities we take for granted can present a danger to someone going through rehabilitation.
How can we get through this?
Is alcohol a drug? The definition may be blurry but the dangers connected to alcohol are far too poignant to ignore. Helping people who are going through rehab can be a great way to fight against alcohol abuse, however talking to people who are going through this addiction right now may be an even bigger help.
Substance abuse is almost always connected with some deeper problems under the surface. Addiction is a choice only in name for most people as they try to fight their demons or find their place in the world. Recommending therapy and supporting healthy lifestyles can not only save lives, but also help those already fighting to get clean.
If you know anyone who is going through rehab or fighting his or her addiction, please inform them of websites such as RehabAid. Here they can find the doctors and institutions that can help them. If you have come in contact with people whose alcohol consumption is making them erratic and dangerous please contact 911 immediately.
