Alcohol is a commonly used substance among the American population, with the statistics only increasing. The NSDUH reports that in 2023, there were 177.3 million people aged 12 or older who had drunk in the past year (62.5% in this age group), 61.4 million of whom engaged in binge drinking in the previous month.
Although we don’t typically think of alcohol as a drug, it is in fact a depressant that affects the central nervous system. There can be severe consequences when alcohol is mixed with drugs.
Join Avenues Recovery, leaders in addiction rehabilitation, as we discover how certain substances, both legal and illicit, work in the body and the grave effects of mixing alcohol and drugs.
What Is It Called When You Mix Alcohol and Drugs?
Mixing drugs with alcohol is referred to as poly-drug or poly-substance use. This term describes taking two or more substances, either together or one after the other, to enhance or alter the effects of each drug.
Research on overdoses shows that the most fatal overdoses involve poly-substance use, alcohol often being one of them.
What Are the Dangers of Alcohol Mixed With Drugs?
One of the dangers of mixing alcohol and drugs is the unpredictability involved, making the combined effects difficult to control. In the book The Truth About Drugs, the authors explain, “Sometimes combining illicit drugs and alcohol will intensify the reaction caused by the drugs; at other times the mixture will produce a completely different reaction from what you expect.”
So too, with legal drugs, alcohol can alter the pharmacological effects of the medication, which can increase or decrease the effect of the medication on the body. This unpredictability is dangerous because a person won't recognize the risks of their behavior.
The precise way in which a person can be harmed by alcohol mixed with drugs depends on several factors. In the book Neurobiology of Alcohol and the Brain, Singh explains that these factors are “the physicochemical properties of the medicines, the doses of drugs and alcohol, the mode of administration, and the health status of the patients.” The frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption also play a role. Again, what this means is that the outcomes of mixing drugs with alcohol can be almost impossible to predict.
Mixing Alcohol with Depressants or Stimulants
Depressants and stimulants are two categories of drugs that users might mix with alcohol. Let’s take a look at exactly what they are.
Depressants are drugs that slow down the body parts controlled by the central nervous system. Legal depressants such as Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Cipralex, and Zoloft are prescribed to those with depression and anxiety disorders. They are designed to decrease anxiety and panic, increase relaxation, aid sleep, and reduce the risk of seizures.
Stimulants, on the other hand, speed up the body parts controlled by the central nervous system, including the brain. Their effect is that they make a person feel more:
- Energized
- Alert
- Focused
Stimulants are widely prescribed to treat ADHD and sometimes narcolepsy. The increased dopamine in the brain improves concentration and decreases fatigue among those who find it difficult to focus and become tired very easily. The two most well-known legal stimulant drugs are Adderall and Ritalin.
The Combination of Other Depressants and Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant that slows down parts of the brain. The key appeal of alcohol is the fact that it makes it easier for us to loosen up and feel more relaxed and less inhibited. Other central nervous system (CNS) depressant drugs and alcohol work synergistically together. This means they act on many of the same areas of the brain, with alcohol compounding the effect of the drugs. The combined effect of two chemicals is much greater than the sum of the effects of each agent given alone. Mixing a depressant such as Xanax with alcohol will therefore lead to the person becoming intoxicated faster.
Effects of Mixing Alcohol With Depressants
The combination of alcohol and other depressants produces enhanced sedative effects, causing sleepiness and drowsiness.
The adverse effects of mixing two depressants also include greater impairment of a person’s:
- Thinking
- Alertness
- Judgment
- Coordination
- Motor skills
- Eye-to-hand reaction time
than alcohol alone. This can lead to a higher risk of:
- Being involved in an automobile accident
- Physical harm from falls due to loss of balance
- Becoming the victim of a crime like assault or rape due to a lack of awareness
Mixing Alcohol and Stimulants
Since alcohol is a depressant, people sometimes mistakenly think that mixing stimulants with alcohol will cancel out the side effects of each substance. In reality, however, this combination only masks the effects of each substance, leading to a false sense of sobriety that makes a person feel less drunk than they are. A person mixing these two drugs maintains the illusion of being alert and stimulated, although their physical reactions are impaired.
A common stimulant drug is cocaine. Alcohol and cocaine are often ingested simultaneously as recreational drugs, with some people believing that alcohol will help to magnify the effects of the cocaine high. Once the cocaine wears off, it can cause a “crash” with feelings of depression and agitation. Some users combine cocaine with alcohol and sedatives in an attempt to self-medicate and reduce the negative symptoms they are experiencing.
The deceptive perception of being sober and alert when combining alcohol and stimulants means that when using amphetamine or cocaine with alcohol, the number of alcoholic drinks required to feel intoxicated is greatly increased. This leads to an increased risk of alcohol poisoning. The false sense of sobriety can also lead to an increased risk of severe legal and safety problems, such as driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, and physical altercations.
Additional Risks of Mixing Alcohol and Stimulants
Combining alcohol and stimulants can lead to additional adverse effects, such as:
Conflict Between Alcohol and Stimulants
Alcohol and stimulants can also have an antagonistic effect. They work to compete with each other and interfere with the transmission of neurotransmitter messages. The depressant drug tries to slow the brain/central nervous system down, while the stimulant tries to speed it up. This puts your brain/central nervous system under great pressure.
Heart Issues from Combining with ADHD Stimulants
Combining prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD, such as Ritalin or Adderall with alcohol, can cause irregular heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmias), and increased blood pressure and heart rate. This can increase the risk of having a heart attack and/or developing heart problems.
Risk of Stimulant Overdose
The false sense of sobriety that occurs when taking drugs along with alcohol, particularly stimulants, also increases the risk of overdose. Stimulant overdose can have potentially fatal consequences.
Increased Depression From Alcohol Mixed With Drugs
Another serious effect of mixing alcohol and drugs is increased feelings of depression or anxiety. If a person is taking antidepressant medication, drinking can counteract its benefits. For example, taking alcohol with trazodone can increase depression, rather than alleviate symptoms. Alcohol may seem to improve your mood in the short term, but its overall effect increases symptoms of depression and anxiety. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that “people commonly drink alcohol to cope with depression, but alcohol worsens depression over time, and those who report binge drinking are twice as likely to have suicidal ideation in the past year compared to non-drinkers.”
Among people taking medication for depression, even low levels of drinking may be problematic because alcohol may reduce antidepressant response and decrease patient adherence while promoting impulsivity, all of which may potentiate suicide risk.
Can You Mix Alcohol and Drugs Safely?
It is extremely hard to determine whether mixing drugs and alcohol can be done safely. Even small amounts of drugs mixed with alcohol can cause unpredictable and severe side effects. It is therefore advisable to never mix any drugs, especially narcotics and alcohol.
This also applies to over-the-counter and prescription medication. To avoid dangerous interactions, always follow your doctor's advice and the instructions on the medication label.
Breaking the Cycle of Mixing Drugs and Alcohol
Many people suffer from the effects of alcohol mixed with drugs and don’t know how to break free from the habits they have formed. If you or a loved one are struggling with any type of alcohol or drug addiction, Avenues Recovery is here to support you.
With drug detox treatment programs for both narcotics and alcohol throughout the USA, our dedicated professionals tailor-make treatment plans that work for you. Contact Avenues Recovery today to hear more about how we can help you. You deserve better than a life of addiction! Let your future start today.