Celia Bueno
Senior Staff Writer
Fentanyl, a drug that has been a focal point in the media over the past year, claimed 83,000 lives in 2022, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Meanwhile, alcohol, a substance that has become part of Western cultural habits, causes a total of 178,000 deaths annually in the United States. While it is true that the fight against the spread of the deadly plague of fentanyl in the United States must continue, perhaps it is time to take another look at something we have so normalized as a society that it kills even more than the dreaded hard drugs. Alcohol is a silent threat that goes unnoticed by its consumers. Although public services strive to raise awareness about the dangers of hard drugs, it is time to address the dangers of alcohol.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, fentanyl was responsible for 70% of overdose deaths in 2022. “It’s a synthetic opioid, so it’s cheaper to make/sell and easier to produce than the labor-intensive ‘natural’ alternative of heroin. It takes less to get you high and ends up being deadlier as a result,” explained a Santa Barbara County police officer to The Bottom Line. Because fentanyl kills so swiftly, the government and healthcare services must implement measures to prevent these deaths with more haste.
Fentanyl may kill faster, but not less frequently. The consequences of alcohol, while also potentially lethal, develop over the long term. According to the NIAAA, between 2015 and 2019, the main causes of death related to alcohol use were liver diseases and various types of cancers — in short, slow and painful processes. The lack of an immediate harmful effect is one reason alcohol consumption has become part of our culture and daily social habits.
In recent months, social media has been inundated with videos showcasing the havoc fentanyl has wreaked on the streets. However, there is comparatively little content highlighting the harm caused by alcohol. As a less visible threat, alcohol’s impact rarely appears in our Instagram feeds.
Alcohol also becomes a silent threat when it comes to mental health. According to a survery conducted by the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI), alcohol abuse is the second most common mental health condition among suicide cases.
While deadly fentanyl leaves visible traces on its users, both during and after use, alcohol is a more discreet drug and, therefore, possibly even more dangerous. An alcoholic person can easily hide their circumstances, with withdrawal symptoms only becoming apparent when they are not drinking. The NCBI uses the term “hidden alcoholics” to refer to people with some form of alcohol abuse disorder who can keep it concealed and maintain personal and work stability, yet suffer the physical and mental deterioration typical of such a disorder. The categorization of such individuals highlights the existence of a problem regarding alcohol use.
According to the same study conducted by NCBI, in 2014, 4.7 million people started drinking alcohol, with 82.9 percent beginning before turning 21. Not only has alcohol become an inherent characteristic of Western culture, but it is also a lifelong habit that often starts at a young age. We have assumed that the college experience is always accompanied by regular alcohol consumption. Although the average student’s alcohol consumption is generally not problematic, it is easy to forget that what we are dealing with is a tremendously harmful substance, a drug that has not only been regularized, but has become part of our weekly routine.
Western media’s headlines, however, are occupied by the fentanyl crisis, not the alcoholism that is prevalent in American society. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in 2022, there were a total of 2.5 million opioid addicts in the United States, compared to 28.9 million people affected with a disorder related to alcohol abuse in 2023.
In 2020, the Health Information National Trends Survey, in response to the high number of cancer cases caused by alcohol consumption, reported that only 39 percent of Americans are aware of the cancer risk posed by alcohol, compared to 94 percent who report being aware of the risk of tobacco.
The statistics are clear: alcohol presents an undeniable risk to human physical and mental health and well-being. It may be a more discreet and silent threat, and its long-term deteriorative process may make it less noticeable. Opioids are weapons of mass destruction that pose a life-threatening risk to their users and, as such, are treated with precaution. However, by decriminalizing alcohol, Western society has increased the threat that alcohol poses, as we are less likely to associate it with its health risks and therefore less likely to act upon it.