Mixing alcohol and crystal meth can have dangerous, life-threatening consequences. Crystal methamphetamine or crystal meth is a synthetic (manufactured) drug with stimulant effects. It’s also known by other names, including glass, crank, ice, and speed. Scientists in the early 20th century developed it in an effort to improve the medication amphetamine. But their creation turned out stronger than they expected — too strong for most people to use safely without the risk of overdose or addiction.
If you’re worried about crystal meth and alcohol use, please seek help from a professional treatment center. Zinnia Health offers treatment options, including detox and individual and group counseling. If you or a loved one struggles with substance abuse, please seek help from a professional treatment center like Zinnia Health. At Zinnia Health, we offer evidence-based treatment programs to meet each individual’s unique needs.
When meth and alcohol are combined, it creates a complicated issue of polysubstance abuse that requires dedicated treatment facilities and knowledgeable treatment providers. You can find this in an inpatient or outpatient setting, and getting familiar with your treatment options is often the first step. Alcohol poisoning can result in vomiting, loss of consciousness, addiction and termination organ damage, and even death. Moreover, the impairment caused by mixing alcohol with meth can make it impossible for individuals to recognize that they are suffering from alcohol poisoning, so they won’t seek help. It is highly addictive because it causes the body to produce massive amounts of dopamine, about three times the amount cocaine induces.
Mental health symptoms like paranoia and delusions may take longer to disappear. If you feel calmer when drinking alcohol, you might assume lyrica addiction: detox withdrawal & treatment it’ll help you feel less restless or jittery when you take meth. The euphoria you experience when using meth may last only a few minutes.
Join 40,000+ People Who Receive Our Newsletter Get valuable resources on addiction, recovery, wellness, and our treatments delivered directly to your inbox. While the road to recovery can be challenging, professional help can provide the support and resources needed to achieve long-term sobriety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol abuse is responsible for an average of 26 years of life lost for each person who dies from alcohol-related causes. As a result, these drugs can quickly take over a person’s life, leading to addiction.
How is Crystal Meth Different From Other Drugs?
This is dangerous because the more meth someone takes in a short time span, the more at risk they are of experiencing an overdose. Mixing alcohol with meth only worsens the damage and puts an individual at an increased risk of long-term side effects and death. When someone takes a dose of meth, the body produces an excessive amount of dopamine. This results in a euphoric rush where an individual gets a burst of energy and is flooded with confidence. The effects of alcoholsubstance abuse are both short-term and long-term.
But other effects, like increased energy or higher body temperature, can linger for hours. If you’re found with less than 2 grams of meth in your possession, you now get a Class E violation instead of a felony. This means that you can pay a $100 fine or visit an addiction recovery center instead of spending time in jail. Alcohol abuse and binge drinking disorders can also arise when using alcohol to extend the meth high. This type of meth use is especially dangerous and requires a specialty treatment program capable of addressing alcohol dependence and meth abuse at the same time. Mixing alcohol and meth can have devastating effects on a person’s physical and mental health.
This leads them to think alcohol isn’t having as great an effect on them as it truly is, so they drink more. Alcohol could potentially boost the effects of meth by heightening its euphoric effects. But it may also lead you to feel more anxious and agitated — not to mention increase your risk of alcohol poisoning or overdose. You may not feel alcohol’s effects as you typically would, so you might drink more alcohol than your body can process. The effects of crystal meth can last anywhere from 6 to 24 hours or more, depending on the dose, whereas the effects of other drugs may only last for a few minutes or hours.
Why Is It Dangerous to Mix Meth with Alcohol?
All forms of meth introduce health risks, including psychosis, weight loss, and changes in behavioral health. There is no such thing as a safe level of alcohol consumption when taking meth. Even if you think you are in control, the effects of both substances on the brain can still create potentially life-threatening side effects. Substance use disorders and addiction aren’t choices you make — they’re mental health conditions that can have long-term effects on your health and well-being. It may take some time for your brain to restore its dopamine circuits when you stop using meth. So, the cognitive abilities that don’t rely much on dopamine will likely recover first.
Furthermore, it can severely impair decision-making skills, resulting in risky behavior or poor judgment, which can have potentially disastrous outcomes. When alcohol is mixed with meth, the combination can cause problems like elevated heart rate and blood pressure, memory problems, anxiety, aggression, and more. Drinking alcohol can also create a flood of confidence and energy, but it does so by releasing a chemical called GABA.
They also reduce the level of serotonin, which can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety. People who abuse alcohol and crystal meth often suffer from malnutrition and weight loss because they’re not eating enough food. Additionally, because both substances suppress appetite, people who abuse them can become dehydrated. Both malnutrition and dehydration can lead to organ damage and severe health problems.
- For instance, you might feel energized, confident, and more alert than usual.
- Meth use can also increase your risk of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that can make it hard to control your movements.
- What’s more, combining meth — a stimulant — with depressants like alcohol, opioids, or benzodiazepines can have a tug-of-war effect on your bodily functions.
- These rapid changes can put a lot of strain on your body, to the point where you need emergency medical attention.
Additionally, this toxic combination may induce severe gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting break the cycle of addiction with these strategies to keep dopamine in check and diarrhea. The best way to protect yourself is to abstain from drinking while taking meth.
Mixing Meth and Alcohol: Can You Drink on Meth?
However, drug tests can detect even tiny amounts of meth, so you’ll need to wait much longer before you can test negative on a drug screening. A hair test, on the other hand, could reveal meth usage up to 3 months after you last used meth. In everyday language, that means most of the meth will leave your system before the day is done. Some folks may do a “run,” which involves taking meth continuously for several hours or days, often without sleeping or eating. Methamphetamine, or meth, is a powerful stimulant that can make you feel more awake and active.
People start using crystal meth for many reasons, including weight loss, improved mental focus, increased energy, and a sense of exhilaration. However, crystal meth is highly addictive and can have dangerous long-term effects on the brain and body. Crystal meth and alcohol addiction can lead to serious health problems.
What does meth feel like?
This chemical slows down the brain’s activity, resulting in a calming and sedative effect. An inpatient medical detox program can provide 24/7 supervision and care, helping prevent potentially fatal complications. In addition, an inpatient setting can offer a more comfortable detox experience. If you’d like to stop using meth, you have options for confidential support and treatment. Prompt treatment could save their life, and it may also help reduce your risk of long-term or permanent damage.
Meth use can also increase your risk of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition that can make it hard to control your movements. If you inject meth with a needle, you also have a higher risk of contracting bloodborne viruses like hepatitis C. In 2020, about 1.5 million people in the United States over the age of 12 had meth use disorder. Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach. However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using.