As we all know, with drinking alcohol comes a great many risks to both your physical and mental health—and that’s without bringing any additional substances into the picture. But just how dangerous can alcohol be when you consider those other substances we might bring into our bodies on a daily basis? Here is a look at five substances that can bring especially disastrous results when mixed with alcohol.
Antidepressants
Did you know that mixing alcohol with antidepressants can actually negate the effects of those antidepressants, leaving you feeling even more anxious or more depressed? In addition, many antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications can actually make you much more susceptible to becoming intoxicated, meaning that you’ll become drunk much more quickly while on these medications.
Pain relievers
This isn’t limited to prescription painkillers like Oxycodone and Hydrocodone. Even over-the-counter pain relievers that contain acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin have the potential to cause potentially disastrous effects when combined with alcohol. In addition to potentially causing extreme drowsiness, nausea, or vomiting, you’ll increase your risk of developing kidney disease or liver damage. You might even see irritation and bleeding in the stomach and intestines.
Over-the-counter sleep medications
Over-the-counter sleep medications exhibit several potentially dangerous side effects on their own, including drowsiness the following day, an inability to drive, difficulty keeping your balance, mental slowing, and weakness. Taking these medications with alcohol can, of course, cause these side effects to become much more intense.
Marijuana
Marijuana and alcohol happen to share many of the same effects after use. Both have a significant impairing effect on your judgment and motor skills, and when they are combined, they create an additive effect that ultimately means these symptoms will double. Combining marijuana and alcohol can also induce nausea and vomiting.
Energy drinks
It seems to be a growing trend at college-age parties to mix alcohol and energy drinks, but this can be extremely dangerous. Drinking alcohol will eventually cause your body to experience fatigue, and this fatigue is actually a strong signal that your body has had enough alcohol. When you bring an energy drink into the picture, you can reduce that side effect of fatigue and therefore become much more likely to consume more alcohol than your body can safely absorb. Mixing these two things can also cause irregular heart patterns and problems with sleeping.
