They are also responsible for many substance related deaths, when used separately and when combined together. Anyone who has or knows someone who has a drug addiction may wish to consider contacting a support network. In the U.S., alcohol is legal for people over the age of 21 to purchase. Cocaine is legal for some specific medical treatments but illegal for recreational use. Following consumption, alcohol can show for up to 6 hours in a blood test, 24 hours in a urine or saliva test, and 90 days in a hair test.
Effects produced by mixing cocaine and alcohol include:
Cognitive behavioral therapy, peer recovery support, and other symptom-management treatments can also treat and manage drug dependence. Currently, there’s no Food and Drug Administration–approved treatment for cocaine dependence. Research is being done on vaccines and gene- and biomarker-based treatment models. The level of risk may increase if a person already has heart-related health issues.
The biggest danger of using both are sudden heart-related problems, such as a heart attack or change in heart rhythms. Cocaethylene also stays around for a much longer time in the body than cocaine, and its toxic effects last longer. Alcohol also slows the removal of another metabolite, ethylbenzoylecgonine, from the kidneys. Whether you take cocaine occasionally, regularly or have used it once or twice, it’s important to understand the risks involved in mixing it with alcohol. Both substances affect the body and mind, even when taken alone, and there are even greater risks when they’re consumed together.
This interaction isn’t merely additive; it produces a third, potent compound called cocaethylene in the liver. Cocaethylene prolongs the euphoric effects of cocaine while increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular strain, liver damage, and sudden death. Even small doses—such as 1 gram of cocaine paired with 3-4 standard alcoholic drinks—can elevate heart rate and blood pressure to dangerous levels, particularly in individuals over 30 or those with pre-existing heart conditions. Cocaine is taken frequently together with ethanol and this combination produces a psychoactive metabolite called cocaethylene which has similar properties to the parent drug and may be more cardiotoxic.
Increased alcohol consumption
How your liver, pancreas, and kidney are working also play into duration time. Many individuals who take cocaine and alcohol together describe enjoying the benefits of alcohol without suffering the drowsiness. They are therefore able to drink much more than they would normally, as cocaine counteracts alcohol’s depressant effects. “Neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects of cocaine and ethanol.” Journal of Medical Toxicology, September 2009.
What happens when you mix cocaine and alcohol
If people have severe side effects from cocaine, alcohol, or both, or they have taken an overdose, they will need immediate medical treatment. People can recover from cocaine and alcohol use disorders, and treatment can help them abstain from the future use of these drugs. Treatment for cocaine and alcohol addiction may involve a medical detox. This process, which takes place under medical supervision, eliminates cocaine and alcohol from the body.
Discover affordable rehab centers near you, offering easy access and convenience. But recovery is possible—and it starts with compassion and understanding. Cocaine also causes changes to other brain chemicals like norepinephrine and serotonin. Some research suggests biomarkers for stress and organ damage may help predict SUD risk, but more work needs to be done in this area. Dependence means the body has become used to a drug and needs it to function.
General Health
Cocaethylene has a longer half-life than cocaine, so that people who combine cocaine and ethanol may experience a longer-lasting, as well as more intense, psychoactive effect. Cocaethylene is the only known instance where a new psychoactive substance is formed entirely within the body. Although known to science for decades, cocaethylene has not been extensively studied and even its metabolic pathways are not entirely elucidated.
- Dopamine originates in the dopaminergic cells of the brain and circulates throughout the body 22.
- These high cost risks are due to increased toxicity in the heart, liver and other organs that cocaethylene produces.
- If a person suspects that someone has taken an overdose of cocaine and alcohol, they will need to contact medical help immediately.
- In this article, we look at the effects of combining cocaine and alcohol.
- It intensifies the euphoric effects, making you feel powerful and energetic—but it also significantly increases strain on the heart and liver.
Someone coming down from cocaine may sleep for many hours or even a day or more. A 2018 study found an estimated 74% prevalence rate of simultaneous alcohol use among people who used cocaine. Research also shows that alcohol use can increase cravings for cocaine, and among individuals with a cocaine use disorder, nearly 60% also have an alcohol use disorder. If you or someone you love has been mixing alcohol and cocaine, it’s time to take action. If a person suspects that someone has taken an overdose of cocaine and alcohol, they will need to contact medical help immediately. Therapy treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, may help people learn new behaviors and coping strategies to help them with long-term abstinence.
In fact, greater education is needed for patients, their families, and illicit drug users. Patients should Cocaine and Alcohol Mix be informed about the risks of using cocaine and ethanol at the same time. The longer half-life of cocaethylene may allow some to overdose on cocaine, not realizing that the cocaethylene metabolite was still active. Treatment for cocaine and alcohol addiction may include residential or outpatient rehab, psychotherapy, support groups and medication-assisted treatment.
Private outpatient treatment
- Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system.
- When its effects are gone, it leaves you feeling very tired because you have spent a lot of extra energy and no longer feel the additional stimulation.
- Cocaethylene seems to be far more selective to dopaminergic sites than cocaine 11, since the latter appears to block serotonin reuptake as well as dopamine reuptake 2.
- Moreover, studies indicate that the risk of sudden death (from heart attack or stroke) as a result of the concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol was 18 times higher than when cocaine was used alone.
Individuals often require a personalized treatment plan to help them recover from both cocaine and alcohol addiction. When used together, these substances can cause cardiotoxic effects and increase the risks of overdose. Moreover, studies indicate that the risk of sudden death (from heart attack or stroke) as a result of the concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol was 18 times higher than when cocaine was used alone.
But what most don’t know is that this combination creates a toxic chemical called cocaethylene, which is far more dangerous than either drug alone. In fact, mixing alcohol and cocaine greatly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, overdose, and sudden death. Cocaine and alcohol are often used together, but this combination is far more dangerous than many realize. When cocaine, a stimulant, and alcohol, a depressant, interact in the body, they create a toxic byproduct called cocaethylene. This compound intensifies the euphoric effects users seek but also amplifies the strain on the heart, liver, and brain.
Once the body has formed a dependence, unpleasant and potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms occur when drug use is stopped. While withdrawal from alcohol or cocaine alone is challenging, withdrawal symptoms can be even more severe when both substances are mixed. Additionally, mixing cocaine and alcohol can cause a chemical reaction in your bloodstream that creates a chemical called cocaethylene. This chemical can be dangerous, as it increases your risk of medical problems.