Is alcohol a hard drug?

Cocaine, heroin, MDMA, amphetamine… all clear examples of hard drugs. Another hard drug is alcohol. A hard drug that is widely available and that about 80 percent of adults drink it. What's up with that?

Alcohol, especially in larger quantities, is a genuine hard drug. Characteristic of hard drugs is that they have a 'psychotropic' effect. You can read it back in the word, which means that the drug affects the psyche (mind) of the user. In addition, alcohol, like other hard drugs, is addictive. You can become dependent on it both mentally and physically. When there is dependence, we speak of an addiction.

Alcohol vs. other hard drugs

Let's get the facts straight: alcohol has a mind-altering effect (it is even the most commonly used mind-altering substance in the world), alcohol is -with regular use of more than 1 to 2 glasses a day- more harmful to the body than most drugs and it is addictive. And yet alcohol is legal, available on (almost) every street corner…Source: drugsinfo.nl.

Opium Act

You might think: if alcohol is a hard drug and is so harmful/addictive, why is alcohol still legal? This is because alcohol is not included in the Opium Act. The Opium Act includes all substances that are considered 'drugs' by the government and are therefore illegal. Alcohol does not appear in this and is therefore legal. What is included in the Alcohol Act is the sale of alcohol to young people under the age of 18. That is prohibited by law. Source: alcoholinfo.nl.