What happens when you mix cocaine and alcohol?
Have you ever heard of a drug named cocaethylene? Cocaethylene is a powerful drug that is produced in the human body when the drug user mixes cocaine use with alcohol consumption.
Mixing alcohol and powder cocaine or crack will lead to the production of this dangerous substance in the drug user’s body. Is it bad to mix cocaine and alcohol? Yes, it is definitely bad, with an increased risk of overdose and serious health problems.
Combining these two dangerous drugs, alcohol and cocaine, is a potentially deadly form of polysubstance abuse. Dangerous drugs of abuse often become significantly more dangerous when combined with other drugs of abuse.
Cocaine users have reported in studies that cocaethylene produces a more intense high compared to cocaine. And, it is longer lasting. Mixing cocaine with a beer or cocktail produces this dangerous new drug that has a much higher risk of sudden death compared to either alcohol or cocaine alone.
Cocaine addiction manifests in many different ways. There are crack addicts, coke addicts, and there are people who particularly enjoy combining various forms of cocaine with alcohol abuse.
Alcohol addiction, by itself, is one of the most dangerous forms of drug addiction. Alcohol is considered by some addiction experts to be even more dangerous than heroin.
While we may consider recreational alcohol use to be a low risk activity, for those who develop an alcohol addiction, there may be serious consequences, including alcohol poisoning and death. Concurrent alcohol consumption combined with cocaine use raises the risks exponentially.
How does an alcohol rehab handle a client who is also using cocaine when they drink?
Rehab facilities work with clients who suffer from a variety of mental health conditions and past traumas. It is important that, through therapy, the underlying issues that have resulted in this dangerous behavior be brought to light.
Additionally, there are different approaches to working with substance abuse clients to help prevent further relapses. One important component of drug abuse treatment is to use therapy to help clients to better handle triggers.
An external trigger could be a liquor store, a bar, or a street corner where the client previously bought cocaine. An internal trigger might be a feeling, such as boredom or depression, or even excitement, that leads to drug cravings.
Therapists who work in a drug rehab should be experienced in working with cocaine abuse clients, people who enjoy mixing drugs, and those who have been combining cocaine with alcohol. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an important therapeutic tool that the treatment center counselor can use to help clients in cocaine addiction treatment, and in substance abuse treatment in general.
CBT is useful in helping rehab clients to identify triggers and learn how to either deal with them or avoid them. Family therapy can help to get loved ones on board in supporting the client in avoiding substance use and the use of multiple substances.
In some polysubstance abuse cases, one drug acts as a trigger for the other drug. For example, there are cocaine users who will not touch cocaine unless they have begun drinking alcohol.
Is there medication assisted treatment for treating people who have been mixing cocaine and alcohol?
Treatment programs tend not to use harm reduction protocols intended to help clients use less alcohol or cocaine. In rehab, the goal is to prevent dangerous outcomes, such as heart attack and liver damage, so they detox the client quickly off of all substances.
Once the client is drug-free, they may present with signs or symptoms of mental illness, such as a bipolar disorder presentation. Over time, as withdrawal symptoms subside, what may seem like mental health problems often turn out to be side effects of drug use, or of drug withdrawal.
The prescription drug, naltrexone, is sometimes used for harm reduction for people who consume too much alcohol. Naltrexone is an opioid blocker that is known to help a person to reduce alcohol consumption over time.
There has been some evidence that naltrexone may help with stimulant abuse as well, including cocaine addiction. However, there may be little or no research into using naltrexone to help people who are combining alcohol with cocaine.
Yet, for the person who cannot, or will not, go to rehab for help, it may be worth prescribing naltrexone to them, intended for harm reduction. If the person is motivated to quit, or at least reduce consumption of the two substances, naltrexone may help.
Especially in the case of a person who only uses cocaine after they start drinking, it may be helpful to support alcohol intake with this form of medication assisted treatment. Additionally, when a person is able to gradually reduce alcohol consumption , they may not have the traumatic withdrawal effects associated with traditional detox programs.
What future addiction treatments may help treat a combined addiction to both cocaine and alcohol?
There is great hope that new psychedelic treatments may provide groundbreaking results in treating a variety of mental health conditions, such as depression, PTSD, and addiction. Whether this proves to be true on a large scale remains to be seen.
So far, in studies, the results have been promising. Drugs such as psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine have been shown to have positive results in treating addiction.
Other drugs being researched include ibogaine, MC-18, LSD, DMT, ayahuasca, and others. Even cannabis, which is now legal in many states, is being used to help with addiction treatment protocols.
Traditional addiction centers that are based on the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step philosophy are typically against these approaches, because they utilize mind or mood altering drugs as a part of treatment. Yet, if these treatments work, it is worth taking another look at their use in highly controlled settings.
Psychedelic assisted therapy must be accompanied by quality psychotherapy for results to be positive and long lasting. The effect of a psychedelic drug includes increasing awareness, perception, and perspective.
When a person is able to take a step back and see their life from a different point of view, they may become very motivated to overcome their addictions. Therapy is an essential part of this process.
If I know someone using alcohol and cocaine together, what should I do?
Our podcasts on recovery are an excellent source for information on this topic. For example, you can learn how & why cocaine is so addictive.
Additionally, we have many great episodes on treating alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder. Knowing about opioid overdose and opioid dependence is important, because any street drug may be contaminated with the synthetic opioid, fentanyl.
When a person uses cocaine, they may also be using fentanyl without being aware that they are consuming a highly potent, and deadly opioid. Our podcast audience reports that our episodes have helped them to learn about these and many more topics.
Of course, addiction and drug abuse are medical conditions, so it is important to see a doctor. If you, or a loved one, has a problem with misusing cocaine and alcohol, or either substance individually, I recommend seeing a doctor as soon as possible.
There are many great resources available to get started on the road to recovery. There are group meetings, such as SMART Recovery , and there are many excellent drug treatment programs. Please, contact us on this website for more information on this topic.
