[retcon]

Don't smoke heroin, try Oxycontin!

Sorry for the snark but I'm nursing a hangover created in the company of a important friend who's promising to quit drinking after moving state next month, so this is a rather timely paper. However if my friend were to merely substitute another intoxicant I'd lose my mind and probably my wonderful friend. So I personally wouldn't suggest alternative habits at least.

Edit: punctuation

[Jimajesty]

Replacement could imply more than habitual use of substances. I've found the hardest part of not drinking to be the loss of the sociable activities I engage with while drinking. I've certainly used marijuana as an "intermediary" between drinking and not drinking as it seemed like a way to engage with inebriation without drinking and later would stop using marijuana when I realized I was enjoying my activities more or less the same with or without its use.

[smileysteve]

Maybe one day we will have the scientific studies, but your comparison is not a great correlation.

Where Oxycontin, heroin, and alcohol are all easy to overdose on, have highly physically addictive properties. Thc does not have the characteristics. Oxy is sold that it reduces physical addiction, when used for short periods and per instructions, but it does not eliminate physical addiction.