Combining any drug with alcohol is never a good idea, but some combinations are particularly dangerous. Some people use drugs and alcohol to ‘balance’ out the effects. For instance, a person might drink alcohol to help “come down” from a stimulant high. Other people mix drugs and alcohol to achieve a more powerful effect. For instance, pairing two depressants together can magnify the effects of both substances. Continue reading to learn the dangers of mixing alcohol and heroin.
Such is the case with a combination like alcohol and heroin. The dangers of mixing alcohol and heroin are immensely serious. Both of these substances are depressants. Technically speaking, they are central nervous system depressants. At the core of the nervous system is the brain. Both heroin and alcohol suppress the nervous system and, sometimes, the suppression is too much, causing dangerous and deadly results.
Emergency rooms are no strangers to patients who arrive for treatment for the effects of excessive drinking or heroin overdose, but they also increasingly witness patients who are under the influence of both of these substances and are suffering from their combination of effects. While overdose is a serious threat for people who use both alcohol and heroin together, other problems, including an increased risk for developing addiction, also occur. Continue reading to learn more about the dangers of mixing alcohol and heroin.
Alcohol and Heroin: A Dangerous Combination
As central nervous system depressants, alcohol and heroin both deliver sedating effects to the nervous system. While using either of these substances, users can expect to feel more relaxed–even tired and calmer. However, they also experience reduced alertness, delayed motor responses, reduced coordination, and reduced attention span. The more a person uses either substance only increases these effects and can cause others that can be even more dangerous. A person might experience blackouts, memory loss, slowed heart rate, and respiratory depression.
When a person combines alcohol and heroin, the above effects can be magnified. Some people drink and use heroin together to purposefully intensify their reaction. They may wish to achieve a more powerful feeling of euphoria. But the human body makes for a poor chemistry project when it comes to mixing drugs and alcohol. Adding too much of one or the other substance can result in overdose and even death.
Dangerous cocktails involving alcohol and drugs can lead to permanent health damage or trigger life-altering consequences. For instance, heightened responses to this combination can cause someone to lose their balance and fall. Their decision-making ability can become impeded, causing them to engage in high-risk behaviors. Mixing dangerous substances in itself is a high-risk behavior. The consequences of this dangerous behavior can result in everything from legal trouble to coma or death.