While polydrug use is common on the recreational drug scene, mixing heroin and alcohol is not a safe combination in any capacity. Both substances can suppress the body’s functions and lead to unfavorable outcomes. Accidental overdose is possible with any combination of drugs, and heroin and alcohol is one to definitely avoid.
With the rise in opioid addiction related to the misuse of prescription painkillers, and the crackdown on these medications making them more expensive and harder to obtain, heroin use has spiked in recent years. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) publishes that close to 1 million people in the United States reported that they were currently using heroin at the time of the 2016 survey. Heroin is often cheaper and easier to get on the street than diverted prescription drugs.
Heroin is an illegal opiate, and it is impossible to know exactly what has been used to cut it. Any number of toxins can be used during the heroin manufacturing process, and it is very hard to know exactly how these products will interact in the body or with other substances that are being ingested at the same time. Heroin itself is already a potent drug on its own.
When heroin is snorted, smoked, or injected, it enters the bloodstream quickly and binds to opioid receptors in the brain. When this happens, levels of the mood-enhancing neurotransmitter dopamine increase; pain sensations are blocked; and heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, and blood pressure are lowered. In a sense, everything slows down, and a person becomes mellow, sluggish, uncoordinated, and has trouble thinking clearly.
Other substances, such as alcohol, have a similar effect on the body and the central nervous system. Alcohol is also a depressant and slows down these autonomic functions.
Both heroin and alcohol work together to amplify the effects of each other, which increases the risk of dangerous consequences, including overdose, significant drug dependence, and addiction.
Heroin and Alcohol
Heroin and Alcohol
Other substances, such as alcohol, have a similar effect on the body and the central nervous system. Alcohol is also a depressant and slows down these autonomic functions. Both heroin and alcohol amplify the effects of each other, which increases the risk of dangerous consequences, including overdose, significant drug dependence, and addiction.
Heroin is a fast-acting opiate that can be unpredictable. Since it is hard to know exactly how pure or potent a dose of heroin is, it can hit the system quickly and have more impact than a person expects.
When mixed with alcohol, all of the effects are amplified. Intoxication levels go up exponentially and without warning. Alcohol and heroin together can create what is called a synergistic effect, CBS News warns. This means that even lower doses of heroin that might not have been lethal on their own can combine with alcohol to cause a deadly interaction. Death can occur within minutes of taking this dangerous drug combination.
Why adding alcohol to the mix is a bad idea
Why adding alcohol to the mix is a bad idea
Heroin is also considered to be highly addictive, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) explains. Since it binds so quickly and effectively to opioid receptors in the brain and can cause such an intense burst of pleasure that wears off so fast, it can be very desirable to take heroin again and again to get those same feelings more often.
Adding alcohol to the mix can raise the level of physical and psychological dependence faster. A person can become tolerant to both heroin and alcohol, and need to take more of each to feel the same effect. Taking two depressant drugs that interact similarly in the brain at the same time can cause a kind of cross-tolerance to each other and therefore heighten drug tolerance and then lead to drug dependence.
Dependence on alcohol or heroin can create a host of adverse and uncomfortable physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are not active in the bloodstream. This means that once heroin or alcohol wears off, intense cravings, mood swings, depression, anxiety, irritability, agitation, restlessness, insomnia, flu-like physical symptoms, heightened central nervous system activity, and even potentially life-threatening seizures coupled with delirium can occur. Addiction can be close behind.
Is There a Safe Amount?
When drinking alcohol, there are levels of intoxication. With one or two drinks, a person feels sociable, happy, less inhibited, more talkative, and likely only slightly physically and mentally impaired. With more alcohol, a person becomes more impaired and intoxicated; they will be more prone to take bigger risks without regard to possible consequences, struggle with reflexes and coordination issues, and be unable to make clear and logical decisions. Memory, mood, and physical movement are significantly impaired with higher levels of alcohol intoxication.
Heroin is a fast-acting opiate that can be unpredictable. Since it is hard to know exactly how pure or potent a dose of heroin is, it can hit the system quickly and have more impact than a person expects.
When mixed with alcohol, all of the effects are amplified. Intoxication levels go up exponentially and without warning.
“Alcohol and heroin together can create what is called a synergistic effect, CBS News warns. This means that even lower doses of heroin that might not have been lethal on their own can combine with alcohol to cause a deadly interaction. Death can occur within minutes of taking this dangerous drug combination.”
– CBS News
Heroin is also considered to be highly addictive, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) explains. Since it binds so quickly and effectively to opioid receptors in the brain and can cause such an intense burst of pleasure that wears off so fast, it can be very desirable to take heroin, again and again, to get those same feelings more often.
Adding alcohol to the mix can raise the level of physical and psychological dependence faster. A person can become tolerant to both heroin and alcohol, and need to take more of each to feel the same effect. Taking two depressant drugs that interact similarly in the brain at the same time can cause a kind of cross-tolerance to each other and therefore heighten drug tolerance and then lead to drug dependence.
Dependence on alcohol or heroin can create a host of adverse and uncomfortable physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are not active in the bloodstream. This means that once heroin or alcohol wears off, intense cravings, mood swings, depression, anxiety, irritability, agitation, restlessness, insomnia, flu-like physical symptoms, heightened central nervous system activity, and even potentially life-threatening seizures coupled with delirium can occur. Addiction can be close behind.
In short, there is no safe amount of heroin and alcohol that can be taken. Heroin is a dangerous illegal street drug with no accepted medicinal uses in the United States. Combining it with another central nervous system (CNS) depressant like alcohol raises the odds for an adverse reaction, including a heightened risk of addiction, drug dependence, difficult withdrawal symptoms, and a possibly fatal overdose.
Heroin, Other Drugs & Overdose Risks
Heroin is a rapid-acting drug, which means that it starts working very quickly, within minutes, and it also wears off quickly. It may then be mixed with other drugs to try and prolong the “high,” or to increase the possible euphoric side effects. Heroin can make a person feel more sociable, less inhibited, and experience a kind of rush of pleasure.
It is commonly mixed with other drugs, such as cocaine. When cocaine and heroin are mixed, it is called a “speedball.” Cocaine is a stimulant drug, so it has the opposite kind of impact that heroin does. Where heroin slows everything down, cocaine speeds it up. These two drugs are then taken together to try and counteract what have deemed the negative effects of the other.
Cocaine can make a person feel more energetic and awake, whereas heroin makes them feel sleepy and lethargic. These two opposites can create a kind of “push and pull” on the brain that can be extremely dangerous.
It is very easy to overdose on either drug when mixing opposite drug types, as each one can mask the warning signs and negative effects of the other. It can then be hard to know when too much has been ingested.
Even potentially more dangerous is combining two drugs with the same impact on the brain and body. Alcohol, benzodiazepines (including medications used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, such as sedatives and tranquilizers), sleep aids, prescription opioids, and heroin are all central nervous system depressant drugs.
Any combination of these substances is going to increase the depressant impact of each and exacerbate the potential consequences.
Opioid overdose rates are at record highs right now. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) warns that close to a third of all overdoses involving opioids also involve a benzodiazepine drug.
Heroin and Alcohol Overdose Symptoms
Heroin and Alcohol Overdose Symptoms
Combining two central nervous system depressant substances can become deadly very fast. NIDA publishes that a heroin overdose decreases oxygen to the brain, which can cause hypoxia. Even when not resulting in death, hypoxia can lead to coma and irreversible brain damage. Adding another depressant drug like alcohol to the mix only increases the risk.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes that in 2016, close to 15,500 Americans died from an overdose involving heroin. In addition, there were more than 80,000 heroin-related unintentional poisonings treated in emergency departments.
An overdose involving alcohol and heroin is extremely dangerous and requires immediate medical attention. NIDA warns that a heroin overdose slows down a person’s heart rate and breathing so much, so quickly, that a person needs prompt medical care to survive.
Signs of a heroin and alcohol overdose include:
- Dilated pupils
- Difficulties staying awake
- Shallow breathing and trouble breathing
- Slow and weak pulse, heart rate, and blood pressure
- Skin that is cold and clammy and may have a bluish tint to it, especially the nails and lips
- Balance and coordination that is severely impaired
- A mental state that is significantly altered and confusion that is evident
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Possible loss of consciousness
The opioid antagonist drug naloxone can help to overturn a heroin overdose if administered quickly. When alcohol or other drugs are also involved in the overdose, it can take multiple doses of naloxone for it to be effective, and it may not work as well. Again, the combination of multiple substances increases the risk of overdose, and it can also complicate treatment.
What to Do If a Heroin and Alcohol Overdose Happens
What to Do If a Heroin and Alcohol Overdose Happens
A person who has overdosed on alcohol and heroin needs immediate medical attention. Call 911 for emergency help right away, and avoid trying any home “remedies,” such as having the person “walk it off,” take a cold shower, or drink coffee. These do not work and could make the situation worse. Do not leave the person alone as they could choke on their own vomit when unconscious. Turn the person on their side so that they will not choke, and wrap them in a blanket if you notice their body is turning cold.
Make sure to tell first responders who arrive on the scene that the person has overdosed after mixing alcohol and heroin. Depending on the situation, the emergency medical team may be able to administer naloxone (Narcan or Kloxxado) to temporarily reverse a heroin overdose, which is a form of opioid intoxication. The medication could be administered as an intranasal spray into the overdosed person’s nostril or an injection into a muscle.
Still, the alcohol overdose part of the situation must be addressed as well. The heroin user who has also used alcohol must also undergo alcohol poisoning treatment in a healthcare facility. This treatment can involve oxygen therapy and/or giving the person fluids intravenously (IV) to keep them properly hydrated. It can also involve vitamins, glucose, and other essentials to address alcohol overdose complications. Overall, the person will receive medical treatment that supports their body’s ability to rid itself of the alcohol.
Dialysis may also be needed to aid the person’s kidneys so that they can clear the blood of alcohol. Depending on how much alcohol the person consumed, stomach pumping may be needed to clear their body of the alcohol they drank.
Get Help for a Heroin and Alcohol Addiction
Get Help for a Heroin and Alcohol Addiction
Should the person recover from a heroin and alcohol overdose, they likely will need professional treatment to address their substance use disorder. Trying to avoid heroin or limiting their alcohol intake will not be enough to deter them from returning to these drugs.
Without proper treatment in place, a person can survive an ordeal like this and go back to seeking their drugs of choice as soon as their health emergency clears. Getting help can also help substance users avoid unfavorable physical health outcomes, such as developing cancer, heart disease, and cognitive impairments, such as memory loss.
Abusing drugs and alcohol, no matter which substances they are, indicates a closer look at a deeper problem is needed. Delphi Behavioral Health Group is readily available to help you, or your loved one receive treatment in recovery programs that put them first. A recovery program treats the whole person.
Our programs at our facilities throughout the U.S. are designed with you in mind. We put your specific needs first, which means you get a recovery program that is tailored to you. Our team of doctors, clinicians, therapists, counselors, and other professionals will help you on your journey to sobriety.
Give us a call today so we can get started on helping you or your loved one enter a recovery program that can help free them from heroin and alcohol addiction.
