The Dangers Of Combining Benzos And Alcohol

Dangers of Mixing Benzos and Alcohol

Combining medications (prescribed or not prescribed) with alcohol can have unpredictable and unwanted consequences. We can help ourselves, our friends, and our community by understanding the dangers and taking steps to prevent harm and get alcoholism treatment.

Some medications—including many popular painkillers and cough, cold, and allergy remedies—contain more than one ingredient that can react with alcohol. Read the label on the medication bottle to find out exactly what ingredients a medicine contains. Ask your pharmacist if you have any questions about how alcohol might interact with a drug you are taking.

Mixing prescription or illicit benzos and alcohol is dangerous because different drugs act on our bodies in different ways. The harmful effects are magnified by mixing benzos and alcohol or by using more than one drug type. For example, the more alcohol in the body, the less benzo needed to cause a drug overdose.

Benzo and Alcohol Interaction

Over the years, the treatment for alcohol detoxification has evolved from the use of a gradual weaning schedule of alcohol itself to the use of benzodiazepines and the newer miscellaneous drugs.

Alcohol dependence is an increasing and pervasive problem. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are a part of alcohol dependence syndrome and are commonly encountered in general hospital settings, in most departments. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome ranges from mild to severe. The severe complicated alcohol withdrawal may present with hallucinations, seizures, or delirium tremens.

Benzodiazepines have the largest and the best evidence base in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal and are considered the gold standard [1] WHEN taken as prescribed or with medical supervision. It doesn’t mean you should mix benzos and alcohol as benzo can only be an effective medication for those who stopped drinking alcohol and are experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol and Benzos Combination Effects

The abuse of prescription drugs has led to a significant increase in emergency department (ED) visits and drug-related deaths. Opioid pain relievers (OPRs) and benzodiazepines are the prescription drugs most commonly involved in these events. Excessive alcohol consumption also accounts for a significant health burden and is common among groups that report high rates of prescription drug abuse.

A person with a dual diagnosis has both a mental disorder and an alcohol or drug problem. These conditions occur together frequently. About half of people who have a mental disorder will also have a substance use disorder at some point in their lives and vice versa. The interactions of the two conditions can worsen both. [3]

We Level Up counselors understand and can make a drug addiction therapy recommendation or dual diagnosis treatment best suited to your needs. 

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers Near Me

Receive treatment for co-occurring disorders today.

The We Level Up treatment center can help with inpatient addiction therapy programs exclusively. Because each client is different and requires unique, comprehensive care according to their situation, our staff of well-trained physicians and nurses first begin the client relationship with a detailed one-on-one assessment.

We Level Up is a multi-faceted primary drug and alcohol dual diagnosis program treating secondary co-occurring mental health conditions and polysubstance abuse. The We Level Up team uses evidence-based proven methods to generate cutting-edge solutions to substance abuse and behavioral health challenges. With support programs targeted towards families and individuals. We work to improve the health of the public and of individuals from every behavioral and related integrated addiction primary and mental health secondary treatment option. This includes constant research and innovation on substance abuse and integrated co-occurring mental health treatment models paired with individuals in a conducive environment.

Increasing awareness of high-risk situations and warning signs and developing avoidance strategies and coping skills for handling those situations is an important part of treatment known as relapse prevention and knowing what to do should relapse occur is equally important to ensure any long-term recovery success.

Our FREE 24-hour Hotline can help you with the resources about treatment options for addiction to benzos and alcohol. Get a free consultation now for your best-fitting treatment programs along with free rehab insurance verification. Call We Level Up today and speak with one of our addiction specialists to check your rehab insurance coverage and benefits.

As the addiction treatment community begins to realize that addiction is itself a mental disorder, the relationship between substance abuse and mental disorders becomes more complicated. The greater treatment community largely lacks a proper understanding of dually diagnosed conditions, so these conditions are still treated separately, or worse–not treated or diagnosed at all. We Level Up dual diagnosis treatment centers in Florida, California, Texas, and New Jersey are some of the facilities that have professionals trained to help treat co-occurring disorders concurrently. This type of tandem treatment provides some of the best success rates. 

Get dual diagnosis treatment for individuals struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders. We Level Up addiction counselors will discuss the average cost of the program based on the personalized treatment that works best for you.