What Are The Effects of Mixing Oxycontin and Alcohol?

Mixing drugs and alcohol is never a good idea.  Many times the addition of alcohol can exacerbate the effects of a drug and the results can be deadly.  Oxycontin abuse would certainly fall into this category as it is an extremely powerful drug that is highly addictive on its own.  Oxycontin is designed to block pain receptors along the spine, in the brain and the central nervous system (CNS).  As the opioid attaches to those receptors, the brain also releases the chemical dopamine, which creates feelings of great relaxation and euphoria in the user.  These effects are magnified by the use of a downer – such as alcohol – that also works to calm the user and slow down his/her respiratory system.

Effects of Oxycontin mixed with alcohol:

• Numbness
• Grogginess
• Euphoria
• Impaired breathing
• Loss of consciousness
• Overdose
• Coma
• Death

As you can see, all of the most common effects relate to slowed mental and respiratory functions which can be deadly.  The reason this particular combination is so dangerous is that the two drugs actually heighten the effects of each other.  Users will see a decrease in their alcohol tolerance when on Oxycontin, which means motor skills will be seriously impaired, and normal physical functions could become very dangerous.  It seems hard to imagine but walking, climbing a stairwell or even sleeping could be problematic as the body begins to shut down under the combined effect of Oxycontin and alcohol.  Respiratory functions can slow all the way down to actually stopping if the addict has consumed too much of either substance.  The biggest problem with mixing Oxycontin and alcohol is that the user cannot accurately determine how his/her body will react to the combination and the chance of overdose increases dramatically.  For instance, a 30mg tablet of Oxycontin may be plenty of pain relief for the user, but when mixed with alcohol, their lowered inhibitions may lead them to believe additional pills can give them greater highs and over the course of an evening, the user may be at risk for an accidental overdose by the time they go to sleep.

Anyone mixing Oxycontin drugs and alcohol on a regular basis is putting extreme distress on the major organs of their body and will more than likely experience an overdose at some point.  Aside from the long-term damage to your organs and the short-term risk of fatally overdosing or injuring yourself, there is also the chance that a mixed Oxycontin and alcohol binge will push the user closer to addiction.  More than likely if you are combining the two, you are not under the supervision of a medical professional, which means abuse is present and addiction is imminent.  Should you find yourself abusing the drug and alcohol separately or together, you should make every attempt to seek help from family, friends, medical professionals or a substance abuse facility such as the Horizon Clinics, which can help to prevent the addiction from progressing and hopefully provide an environment for detox and recovery.

Overall it is an extremely bad idea to mix Oxycontin and other drugs such as alcohol.  The effects can be dangerous and deadly while putting the user on a path toward addiction and a lifelong fight with dependency.