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Alcohol And Drug Addiction: The Side Effects Of A Combo Of Alcoholism And Other Substance Abuse

by — 2020-01-29 in Addiction & Recovery
Alcoholism is plenty dangerous on its own, but abusing alcohol as well as other drugs can lead to some especially dangerous side effects. What do you need to know?

Around 2.3 million of the 15.3 million US residents diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder — meaning, in simpler terms, alcoholism — are also addicted to (other) drugs. Even those alcohol addicts who don't struggle with a full-on double addiction are, research shows, more likely than others to use drugs occasionally. 

Chronic alcohol abuse does plenty of nasty things to the body all on its own, increasing the risk of anything from cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and stroke, to liver cirrhosis, liver and other cancers, pancreatitis, and a weakened immune system that leaves alcoholics vulnerable to opportunistic infections. Add other substances, and things get even more dangerous. What do you need to know?

Double addiction: Some basic facts

Research shows that:

  • 33 percent of people in treatment for alcoholism use powder cocaine.
  • 29 percent use crack cocaine.
  • 24 percent use marijuana.
  • 15 percent use heroin.
  • Smaller percentages use other drugs, like amphetamines, hallucinogens, sedatives, and opioids. People with an alcohol use disorder may abuse both illicit and prescription drugs. 
  • Let's not forget about nicotine, which is the drug most commonly used in combination with alcohol. 
People who abuse multiple substances — so, for instance, cocaine and alcohol, or alcohol, benzodiazepines, and marijuana — are more likely than those who only suffer from an alcohol use disorder to have psychiatric disorders, be low income, and have low levels of formal education. Many of these people don't have an effective social support network. While it's common to be addicted to two substances at once, some people also frequently combine alcohol with not just one, but two or more other substances. 

Some people will use alcohol and other drugs at the same time to achieve amplified or "symbiotic" effects — to get more intoxicated, or to get intoxicated in a different way. Others will, however, combine different substances to reduce the effects of both. As an example, nicotine may allow people under the influence of alcohol to stay more alert than they would if they didn't smoke at the same time.

What can happen if you combine alcohol with other drugs?

  • Alcohol and heroin both depress (slow down) the central nervous system and can prove to be a potentially fatal combination. 
  • Alcohol and cocaine lead, in combination, to the production of something called cocaethylene in the body. This greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular complications. 
  • Alcohol and cannabis can, when taken together, lead to some scary mental disturbances like extreme paranoia. Because smoking weed suppresses the gag reflex, it also makes being drunk that much more dangerous — preventing people from throwing up. 
  • Alcohol and opioid painkillers are a powerful combo that can cause respiratory depression, in which intoxicated people breathe too slowly. Breathing can even stop entirely. 
  • Alcohol and MDMA (ecstacy) increase the risk of overdose, and put the kidneys under great stress. 
  • Alcohol and amphetamines don't just increase a user's risk of cardiovascular complications, but also place the kidneys under stress and can make a person really aggressive. 
  • Alcohol and stimulants like Adderall (prescribed for ADHD and available on the streets, as well) are a potentially deadly combo, as they reduce the feeling of intoxication and can, as such, increase the risk of alcohol poisoning. This combo can also cause dangerous arrhythmias.

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs both comes with its own potential short- and long-term health consequences — and not only does using them both expose addicts to the individual risks associated with each drug, the two can also interact to create deadly combinations. While the exact risks associated with each combo vary, one thing is beyond clear. Abusing alcohol is has detrimental physical and mental consequences on its own, but using it together with other illegal and prescription drugs is even more dangerous. 

What treatment is available?

Being addicted to more than one substance makes getting off both more complicated. A person who is committed to becoming sober and clean will benefit from medical and psychological supervision — not just to increase their chances of success, but also to make the detox process safe. If this is you or someone you care about, please speak to a doctor before attempting to get off the combination of alcohol and other drugs. Be completely honest about what you use and the extent of your use. 

Medications can be prescribed to make the withdrawal process less arduous and safer, while the psychological aspect of addiction treatment is similar across all substance and behavioral addictions. Recovering addicts will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy to help them find new coping mechanisms and understand the factors that led to their addiction. Many also find great value in peer-support networks such as Alcoholics Anonymous, where they can be mentored by people who have already gone through the process.

Managing an addiction, to the point where the addict can now completely abstain, isn't in any way easy. You will need all the help you can get, but abstention is possible. 

Sources & Links

  • Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth

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