Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana and Other Drugs

Sometimes we engage ourselves in very dangerous activities or behaviors either ignorantly or knowingly but the one common denominator in these actions is that the consequences can be life threatening in many ways. When you take your favorite drink you might not think it’s a big deal to have that alcoholic drink along with your prescription medication, or illicit drugs as an accompaniment. Doctor Dalal Akoury a veteran addiction expert and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center says that alcohol can be very dangerous when taken alongside all kinds of drugs including both prescription and illegal drugs. And in fact, alcohol is especially dangerous when you take it with another depressant. The experts’ at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center explains that two drugs performing the same thing in the body can have more extreme and lethal effects when taken together. And according to The Drug Abuse Warning Network report, it will interest you to note that from 2005 it was established that of all visits to the emergency room from drug use, approximately one-third of the patients were from drinking alcohol or mixing alcohol with other types of drugs. These visits often included mixing alcohol with cocaine, heroin and marijuana and that is what is going to form the basis of our discussion under the topic “mixing alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances.”

Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Cocaine and Alcohol

The results are unpredictable when you mix alcohol with cocaine. Sometimes combining the two substances makes it difficult to feel the effects of either complication as intensely as they should while on the other hand, sometimes the mixture can increase the effects of each drug exponentially. Like for instance when you take a lot of cocaine, it’s more likely that you’ll experience worse effects from both drugs, and this could even lead to an overdose of not just cocaine but alcohol as well. Remember that cocaine is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant. Therefore when you take cocaine, it makes your metabolism increase thereby causing the alcohol to go to your brain more quickly. The effect of this is similar to the feelings you are likely to experience when you drink alcohol in haste. And according to the November 2003 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence it was established that when one take cocaine and alcohol together, your body will respond by producing coca-ethylene. Coca-ethylene can make you feel the effects of cocaine or alcohol more than if you just took either substance individually. Remember that the effect of this substance can be very fatal to the point of causing heart problems and even death. This fatality can be avoided through professional treatment available at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury. You can therefore call today to schedule for an appointment with the experts today for the commencement of your recovery journey.

Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Mixing Alcohol and Heroin

Alcohol and heroin produce similar effects in the body because they are both depressants. Separately, alcohol and heroin can cause respiratory complications (breathing problems), therefore when taken together the effect can be more serious and traumatizing. Besides all these, drinking alcohol can also impair the user’s judgment, thereby motivating them to continue taking more of heroin than they normally do, potentially causing an overdose.

Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Marijuana with Alcohol

Marijuana can prevent you from feeling nauseous or from throwing up, so it can potentially prevent you from throwing up alcohol if your body needs to. This can make the extra alcohol stay in your body and may cause alcohol poisoning. The mixture of these two drugs can cause a number of effects on the body including some of the following:

• Feeling like you’re spinning
• Paranoia
• Trouble concentrating
• Throwing up
• Trouble using your body

Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Alcohol and prescription drugs

Whether or not you have a prescription for a prescription medication, mixing it with alcohol can be dangerous. It’s important to talk to your doctor about whether you can have alcohol with your prescription medicines, and if so, if you should limit the use to a certain amount. If you are using a prescription medication that wasn’t prescribed to you, or using it in a way that it wasn’t prescribed for, you are abusing the medication. Compounding this abuse with drinking alcohol only magnifies the risks of the abusive behavior.

Alcohol shouldn’t be mixed with most prescription medications because the combination can lead to severe side effects. Although you should specifically check on any medication you are taking, some medications that can cause a problem with alcohol include:

• Painkillers like aspirin and acetaminophen
• Antihistamines
• Central nervous system depressants, like sleep medications, sedatives and drugs for anxiety
• Antidepressants, like Elavil, Sinequan and MAO inhibitors
• Diabetes drugs
• Drugs for infection, including antibiotics
• Many specific medications, including Catapres for high blood pressure, Verapamil for chest pain, Tagamet for gastrointestinal issues, and Adderall for ADHD or narcolepsy

Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Additional drugs that can mix badly with alcohol

There is an endless list of drugs that can have negative effects on your body when you take them with alcohol. Some of the many that you should be cautious about include: Amphetamines, Mushrooms, Ecstasy, Caffeine, LSD, GHB and PCP. The list is actually endless meaning that what we have here may not be as conclusive as it should be. In this regard doctor Akoury recommends that everyone must ensure that they are aware of all the potential consequences before drinking alcohol while taking any kind of drug irrespective of whether it’s a prescription drug or an illegal street drug.

Finally dear reader, this is not something that you can comfortably handle on your own without the help of the experts. Therefore if you or anyone you know is struggling with alcohol or any other drug or both all at the same time, we will always be there for you at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. All you need to do is to schedule for an appointment with the expert (Doctor Dalal Akoury) and she will be of great help to you in the best and more professional way than you can ever imagine.

Mixing Alcohol consumption with other hazardous substances: Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana and Other Drugs