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> Alcohol and tobacco, while dangerous, do give quite a bit of time to change and be saved. The typical tobacco death is someone in their 70s, whereas the typi

> Alcohol and tobacco, while dangerous, do give quite a bit of time to change and be saved. The typical tobacco death is someone in their 70s, whereas the typical alcohol death is someone in their 30s. (The majority of alcohol-related deaths are from suicide, car crashes, and slip-and-fall type injuries.) I doubt the types of deaths we're seeing from heroin are that much different than with alcohol.

jrs95 9y ago
True, but alcohol deaths are a much lower percentage of the drinking population than opioid deaths are to opioid users. That makes it more difficult to reduce imo. Alcohol kills indirectly in such a way that aside from efforts to curb drunk driving or drinking altogether there's not much that can be done. Personally I think mandatory breathalyzer ignition locks are probably the best you could do to quickly cut down on alcohol related deaths.
- GordonS 9y ago
  > alcohol deaths are a much lower percentage of the drinking population than opioid deaths are to opioid users Unlike alcohol and tobacco, a lot of opioid use is illegal, and a lot is prescribed by doctors - this makes for a very different playing field. If opioids were legally and openly sold, it would likely have a big impact (I'm not saying they should be, BTW). Regulation would mean quality control, so you'd be much more likely to get what you thought you were buying. Another example, if choice was available, almost no recreational opioid user would choose fentantyl or some of the random opioid RCs that pop up, instead opting for safer versions.
- deleted 9y ago
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- DanBC 9y ago
  drunk driving deaths are a tiny fraction of deaths caused by or hastened by alcohol. About 11,000 people die in drink driving accidents in the US. Compare that to only cirrhosis, which kills over 30,000 people per year. Excessive alcohol causes about 1 in 10 deaths in the 18-64 age group in the US.

jrs95 9y ago

True, but alcohol deaths are a much lower percentage of the drinking population than opioid deaths are to opioid users. That makes it more difficult to reduce imo. Alcohol kills indirectly in such a way that aside from efforts to curb drunk driving or drinking altogether there's not much that can be done. Personally I think mandatory breathalyzer ignition locks are probably the best you could do to quickly cut down on alcohol related deaths.

GordonS 9y ago
> alcohol deaths are a much lower percentage of the drinking population than opioid deaths are to opioid users Unlike alcohol and tobacco, a lot of opioid use is illegal, and a lot is prescribed by doctors - this makes for a very different playing field. If opioids were legally and openly sold, it would likely have a big impact (I'm not saying they should be, BTW). Regulation would mean quality control, so you'd be much more likely to get what you thought you were buying. Another example, if choice was available, almost no recreational opioid user would choose fentantyl or some of the random opioid RCs that pop up, instead opting for safer versions.
deleted 9y ago
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DanBC 9y ago
drunk driving deaths are a tiny fraction of deaths caused by or hastened by alcohol. About 11,000 people die in drink driving accidents in the US. Compare that to only cirrhosis, which kills over 30,000 people per year. Excessive alcohol causes about 1 in 10 deaths in the 18-64 age group in the US.