If you answered “yes” to one or several of these questions, you should seek help from a medical professional. These answers should not be considered an official diagnosis; however, they can warn you of potential substance abuse factors and motivate you to get help. Combining alcohol with other substances can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. Supplements that are marketed as mood enhancers may also interact dangerously with alcohol. Some people have reported blacking out or having seizures after combining alcohol with 5-HTP, a supplement that may improve symptoms of depression.

• If you’re struggling with these behaviors, intervening early can put you on the path to recovery before the problem gets worse.
• Studies have shown that the combined effect of marijuana and alcohol can lead to dangerously high blood pressure, rapid heart rate and irregular heart rhythm.
• That increases the risk of stroke and heart-related reactions for days to weeks.
• Combining it with alcohol can cause extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing, impaired motor function and memory problems.
• It’s worth noting that current guidelines advise against drinking alcohol as a way to improve health.

Can drinking raise my blood pressure?

Other medications to treat cocaine dependence are being used off-label with limited success. If you think you or a loved one might have a problem https://ecosoberhouse.com/ with cocaine, alcohol, or another substance, reach out to a healthcare provider. One reason people use alcohol and cocaine together might be because they believe alcohol can curb the withdrawal and anxiety when cocaine’s effects start to wear off.

Increased risk of heart-related problems

Alcohol should never be mixed with over-the-counter cough syrups, as many of these medications contain alcohol anyway. Drinking while using a cough medication will likely result in severe intoxication. Most over-the-counter cough syrups are based on the active, cough-suppressing ingredient dextromethorphan, which also happens to be a potent hallucinogenic drug. A single dose of cough syrup does not contain enough dextromethorphan to cause intoxication or hallucinations, however, alcohol enhances the effect of the drug. If you consume alcohol while taking cough medicine, you could experience visual hallucinations, confusion, extreme intoxication and drowsiness.

Cocaine and Alcohol: Effects and Dangers of Mixing the Two

Illicit drugs – cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana Sober living home – can cause severe bodily injury and life-threatening side effects. Drinking and taking drugs can quickly spiral out of control, leaving you at risk for potentially permanent health complications. In addition to high amounts of caffeine, many energy drinks contain chemicals that can boost energy levels and mask the effects of alcohol, including guarana, taurine, ginseng and sugar.

Depressants and Driving

Combining alcohol with some illicit drugs can cause long-term organ damage, and mixing alcohol with certain prescription pills can make a person stop breathing. Even some over-the-counter supplements can cause major health problems when mixed with alcohol. Mixing drugs with alcohol isn’t just dangerous—it can be a sign of substance use disorder.

It can make it hard to breathe, which can damage your brain and other organs. The long-term use of cocaine and alcohol poses severe health threats, impacting multiple organs and bodily systems. The amounts consumed, the potency of the drug, and how an individual body processes each substance  all factor into the equation, and the specific response to most drug combinations remains unstudied.

Alcohol and Prescription Medications

Other risk factors of combining cocaine and alcohol include heart attack, overdose or death. Using meth with depressants such as alcohol may cause adverse effects. Research conducted among people with polysubstance abuse found that using meth with alcohol increased their heart rates and blood pressures.

How to Recognize Polysubstance Abuse

• Opioid/opiate drugs are drugs that relieve pain and produce a feeling of being high.
• Ignoring these signs can lead to severe health complications or tragic outcomes.
• The hallucinogenic and dissociative effects of marijuana are likely to be more severe when the drug is used in conjunction with alcohol and can be extremely distressing.
• They attempt to reduce this anxiety by using substances such as alcohol that are depressants.

Therapists provide tools to manage cravings and teach healthier ways to cope with stress and anxiety. For many, therapy becomes the foundation for understanding their addiction and creating a path toward lasting recovery. On the other hand, drinking in moderation (about one drink per day for women and two for men, respectively) poses a small risk for the average person, Rimm says. “Potentiation” can result from mixing alcohol with drugs, or taking two or more drugs mixing alcohol and drugs causes an effect called at once.Think of potentiation as 1+1 being greater than 2.

Here you can find information on the safe use, storage and disposal of prescription drugs. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about problems you’ve had with medicines, including rashes, indigestion, dizziness, loss of appetite or unusual physical or emotional reactions. Keep a list of all medicines and vitamins/supplements you’re taking and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Include details about the brand name or generic name of the drugs, strengths, quantities and how often you take them. By contrast, another 2023 study found similar rates of death between nondrinkers and light to moderate drinkers. Drinking alcohol while taking of psilocybin mushrooms will lead to a heightened hallucinogenic effect.