Cocaethylene: the risks of mixing cocaine and alcohol

 

UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS

What’s the deal with mixing cocaine and alcohol?

 

Cocaine and alcohol are often used together, particularly on nights out. Many people don’t realise that when the two are in the body at the same time, the liver produces a third substance, cocaethylene. It can intensify and prolong the effects of cocaine, and it brings risks of its own.

 

This page explains what cocaethylene is, why combining the two drugs is riskier than using either alone, and how we may be able to help if you’re worried about your own use or someone else’s.

 

 

THE BASICS

What is cocaethylene?

 

Cocaethylene is a compound formed in the liver when cocaine and alcohol are used together. It acts on the brain in a similar way to cocaine, which can lead to a stronger or longer-lasting high and can make you feel less drunk than you really are.

 

Cocaethylene also stays in the body for longer than cocaine. Its effects on the heart and other organs can continue after the effects of cocaine itself have worn off, and using more cocaine or alcohol through the night keeps adding to it.

 

 

THE RISKS

Why mixing cocaine and alcohol is more dangerous

 

Cocaine and alcohol each carry serious risks on their own. Research suggests that using them together, and the cocaethylene this produces, adds to those risks in several ways.

 

 

1. Strain on the heart

 

Cocaethylene is thought to be more toxic to the heart than cocaine alone. Combined use has been linked to heart attacks, irregular heart rhythms and strokes, and these can happen to people who are otherwise fit and healthy.

 

 

2. Higher risk of sudden death

 

Studies have linked using cocaine and alcohol together to a greater risk of sudden death than using cocaine alone, mainly because of the extra strain on the heart.

 

 

3. Greater risk of overdose

 

Because cocaine can mask how drunk you feel, and alcohol can take the edge off the cocaine comedown, it is easy to use more of both than you intended. Cocaethylene lasts longer in the body, so its effects can build up over a session, increasing the risk of overdose.

 

 

4. Extra pressure on the liver

 

The liver has to process both substances, and regular combined use can add to the strain that heavy drinking already places on it.

 

 

5. Effects on mental health

 

Using cocaine and alcohol together can increase aggression, paranoia and anxiety, and the comedown can bring very low mood. Over time, regular use can contribute to depression and anxiety, and in some people to thoughts of suicide.

 

 

6. Impaired judgement and risk-taking

 

The combination lowers inhibitions and affects judgement, making risky decisions more likely, such as drink-driving, unsafe sex or getting into fights. These can have lasting physical, personal and legal consequences.

 

 

A COMMON PATTERN

Why do people combine cocaine and alcohol?

 

Many people mix cocaine and alcohol in social settings without knowing about the risks. Cocaine can make people feel more alert, so they drink for longer, while alcohol can soften the anxiety and crash that follow cocaine. Over time this can become a cycle where one rarely happens without the other, and it becomes harder to keep track of how much has been used.

 

 

HOW WE CAN HELP

How Cheshire Sobriety Clinic can help

 

If you, or someone close to you, is worried about using cocaine and alcohol together, talking it through is a good first step. We offer private, one-to-one support for people who want to change their cocaine and alcohol use, combining talking therapy with RTT® hypnotherapy.

 

Together we look at what drives the pattern, such as stress, social pressure, low mood or difficult experiences, and work on practical ways to change it. Your goals are agreed with you, and everyone’s experience of treatment is different.

 

 

YOUR NEXT STEP

Start with a free, confidential conversation

 

If you would like to talk about your cocaine and alcohol use, book a complimentary 30-minute consultation. It’s a private, no-obligation conversation about what has been happening and whether our support may be right for you.

 

If you or someone else has chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, a seizure, or severe confusion or agitation after using cocaine and alcohol, call 999 straight away. Cheshire Sobriety Clinic is not a crisis service and does not provide medical detox. If you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can be dangerous, so please speak to your GP or NHS 111 first.