Do you know what kind of danger you’re in if you’re mixing drugs and alcohol? Drinking to excess brings the problems we’ve all heard about, such as health risks, marital problems, difficulties on the job, and even legal consequences. Doing drugs offers the same problems, but with magnified legal consequences because few drugs are legal. Drug and alcohol dependence combined, however, puts you into a whole new game. You’re no longer tossing the dice risking your personal freedom and happiness. Now you’re playing an entirely new level of jeopardy, where the dangers double and the consequences quadruple.
The effects of drug and alcohol dependence change depending on what substances you’re using. Some people like to drink and do some kind of pick-me-up. Many believe that happy pills are so much happier when they’re washed down with a good drink or too. Others simply give no thought to the dangers of downing their pain pills with alcohol.
Alcohol and Cocaine
Many people enjoy the mellowing effects of a good drink boosted with a few lines of coke. They don’t even consider that they have stepped into a new realm of drug and alcohol dependence because they maintain a pretty high level of function during this kind of high. Instead of taking a few drinks and then feeling a little too tired to carry on, they get the sudden burst of energy that cocaine thrusts upon them.
What they don’t know is that the effects of cocaine are amplified by the alcohol they’ve consumed. Studies show blood cocaine levels increased as much as 30 percent when the two are mixed. Their metabolism yields a cocaine-like substance called cocaethylene, which can trigger cardiac events in people whose lifestyles bring high cardiac risks. The two substances taken in tandem also seem to produce high incidences of violent behavior. The volatility of cocaine is boosted by the aggressive posture affected by alcoholics. All of these combinations create high levels of risk for the person who isn’t even aware that they’re diagnosed with drug and alcohol dependence.
Alcohol and Benzodiazepines
In today’s stress-ridden world, doctors hear from too many patients that worries keep them awake at night, and there seems no better solution than benzodiazepines including Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Librium, Klonopin, and many others.
The problem is that doctors prescribe these drugs without asking their patients how much or how often they drink. If you come home from work every single day and toss back that dry and dirty martini, then you’re drinking too much. If you start your day by swallowing your tranquilizer with your morning coffee, you don’t even recognize the danger you’re in.
Drug and alcohol dependence involving combinations of adult beverages with tranquilizers can put the person in a state of permanent peace. That’s right—drinking and taking benzos means you are risking a fatal overdose. Moreover, alcohol extends the life of the benzodiazepines in the body, extending those risks. None of this even addresses the aberrant behaviors often seen in people who mix drugs and tranquilizers.
Alcohol and Opioids
Drinking alcohol in combination with opiate abuse is a game that progresses quickly from double to final jeopardy, with no suave game show host around to save you. Both alcohol and opioids depress the respiratory system. If you are among the many Americans who think nothing of having their daily drinks along with those pills they need for their chronic aches and pain, then you don’t realize the level of risk. At some point the brain simply forgets to tell the lungs to keep breathing. And then it’s all over.
If you know you’re playing that dangerous game of combined drug and alcohol dependence, then it’s time to get help. Call us today to learn more. Discover how easy it is to begin treatment. Your life could depend on it.
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