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Can You Drink Alcohol While on Benzos?
Drinking alcohol while on benzos is never safe and can easily result in serious and permanent health-related consequences.
When taken individually, benzodiazepines and alcohol are liable to pose serious health-related risks. Benzodiazepines (more commonly referred to as benzos) are a type of prescription tranquilizer that is extremely habit-forming and poses an exceptionally high risk of abuse. Alcohol is the most commonly used chemical substance throughout the United States; an intoxicating depressant substance responsible for thousands of treatment admissions, emergency room visits, and accident-related deaths annually. Because these two chemical substances have depressant effects, mixing the two is always extremely dangerous. Mixing two chemical substances at the same time is known as polydrug abuse.
Dangers of Mixing Benzos and Alcohol
Those who engage in polydrug abuse have a higher risk of relapse and other health-related issues. For this reason, seeking professional medical care in an inpatient treatment facility will always be necessary. At Absolute Awakenings, we treat substance abuse and dependency disorders of all kinds. If you have been suffering at the hands of a polydrug abuse disorder involving alcohol and benzodiazepines and have been unable to quit or cut back on your own, we are here to help.
Alcohol and Benzodiazepine Abuse and Addiction
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 85.6 percent of American adults over the age of 18 reported that they drank alcohol at least once before the date the study was conducted, and slightly under 55 percent of adults reported that they had consumed alcohol within the past month. Alcohol consumption is generally socially acceptable, and it can sometimes be difficult for those grappling with an alcohol use disorder to recognize their negative behavioral patterns.
They might be surrounded by others who drink as regularly or heavily as they do, or they might be subconsciously ignoring the serious negative consequences they are experiencing as a result of heavy drinking. However, once benzodiazepines are thrown into the mix, the issue becomes far more difficult to ignore. If you have been taking benzodiazepines while drinking, you are at serious risk of permanent health-related complications. Drinking while on benzos is never acceptable or safe, regardless of the circumstances.
Drinking While on Benzos
Drinking alcohol while on benzos is unsafe and can easily result in serious and permanent health-related consequences like coma and overdose-related death. The number of annual deaths involving alcohol is already exceptionally high throughout the US – adding benzos to the mix will only increase the odds of experiencing an overdose or serious, life-threatening accident. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there were 29,505 alcohol-related deaths directly linked to liver disease in the year 2020 alone and 49,061 alcohol-induced deaths, including fatal accidents and homicides. If you have been drinking excessively, or if you have been drinking while on benzos, reach out for professional addiction treatment before it is too late.
At Absolute Awakenings, we have made our program of quality clinical care accessible to all those who need it. Do not let a lack of knowledge surrounding available resources prevent you from seeking the help you desperately need. Reach out today for a list of potential treatment options.
Absolute Awakenings and Polydrug Addiction Recovery
Absolute Awakenings offers a comprehensive continuum of care that tackles all existing substance abuse disorders while uncovering and treating all potential underlying issues, such as mental health disorders and unresolved trauma. We understand that addiction is a complicated and individualized disease and that the treatment methods that work for one individual might not work as well for another. For this reason, we conduct in-depth evaluations upon admission to our treatment program, exploring all of the substances involved in the disorder and all underlying issues.
If it is determined that both benzodiazepines and alcohol were being abused, we will place the client into a comprehensive polydrug abuse treatment program. For more information on our addiction recovery program, please feel free to reach out today.
References
- Bounds CG, Nelson VL. Benzodiazepines. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022. Accessed January 16, 2023. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470159/
- Nehring SM, Freeman AM. Alcohol Use Disorder. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022. Accessed January 16, 2023. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436003/
- Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Accessed January 16, 2023. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
- FastStats. Published December 16, 2022. Accessed January 16, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm
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