We are all aware that drugs have a negative affect on the body and that various amounts of alcohol can also have negative affects on us. The problem is, a lot of people think that some drugs and alcohol are perfectly safe when used sparingly and this causes confusion and leads to some people abusing some drugs and alcohol because of a false sense of security when using these substances. Marijuana, for example, it not as dangerous of a drug as cocaine or crystal meth but it does have negative effects on users. The same goes for alcohol and the effects of marijuana vs alcohol are not are quite similar.
Marijuana has obvious effects that users experience. Giddiness, hunger and laziness are some of the known effects that most people consider to be harmless. What they do not take into effect is the long term problems associated with its usage. If there are short term affects such as the ones I listed above, than you can bet there are long term ones too. Here are some of the long term effects of using marijuana:
1) Memory loss
2) Confusion
3) Loss of coordination
4) Difficulty is concentration
5) Heart problems
6) Chest infection
7) Lung disease
Anxiety disorders
9) Marijuana use has even been linked to some cancers and mental disorders
10) Low Immune system
11) Weight loss or weight gain
Alcohol is legal and even recommended by some doctors in moderate doses so it is therefore thought to be safe by most people who drink it but its long term effects can be devastating. Moderate use of alcohol may be safe but there is always a risk of developing a dependency on it if drinking is something done often. Here are some possible long term effects of consuming large amounts of alcohol:
1) Cardiovascular disease
2) Malabsorption
3) Liver disease
4) Lung problems
5) Increase risk of other cancers
6) Immune system disorders
7) Stroke
Osteoporosis
9) Hypertension
10) Memory loss
11) Clouded judgment
12) Weight Gain
13) Metabolic syndrome
14) Kidney stones
15) Gallbladder stones
16) Sexual dysfunction
17) Hormone disorders
18) Diabetes
19) Arthritis
20) Frequent infections
21) Alcohol abuse destroys families and marriages and the stress and damage caused by this can be devastating to all involved.
There is no doubt that there are consequences involved when using both of these substances and the affects of marijuana vs alcohol are still being discovered. New research is found all the time and, although not all of it is negative, most of it is. Moderation may be key but the big question remains as to what is considered moderate. This depends on a lot of factors but there is also the risk that in a few months or years, more research may be done to determine that maybe even moderate use is not good.