Alcohol and Marijuana:
A Risky Choice
In Part 1 of this article, we learned how common multiple drug use is and why this phenomenon may be overlooked by parents, teachers and others responsible for helping youth grow up drug-free. In Part 2, we’ll focus on the use of alcohol and marijuana together.
A recent study noted that legalizing medical marijuana has NOT lead to a reduction of alcohol use, as many pro-legalization advocates promised it would. In fact, beer consumption in medical marijuana states bumped up slightly after the laws changed. One researcher involved in this study commented that “beer and weed are complements rather than substitutes.”
Further research published in Scientific American explained that people who smoke marijuana and drink alcohol at any time are twice as likely to indulge in both drugs simultaneously. In fact, these “mixers” had the heaviest pattern of use in both frequency and quantity consumed. These researchers also explained that mixing these two drugs doubles one’s risk of adverse social consequences such as getting into fights, being arrested or creating problems at work.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration adds more fuel to this particular fire. A July 2014 summary observed that mixing alcohol with other drugs results in more serious repercussions than just consuming alcohol by itself. This conclusion was drawn from an analysis of the outcomes of those who arrive in the Emergency Room for problems with alcohol, with or without other drugs. When other drugs were also consumed, far more people were admitted to the hospital or died than if alcohol was the only drug.
Worth Special Conversations Between Parents and Youth
Most parents do their best to warn their children off drugs but they may miss this subject of multiple drug use. It’s worth adding a warning on this subject when talking to your children. Before bringing it up, you can learn more about “polydrug” use on the Narconon Ojai website.
Learn how several different types of drugs tend to suppress breathing, like alcohol, opioids and benzodiazepines, and how mixing these drugs greatly increases the risk of death. You can also learn the most popular combinations among drug users and why each combination is particularly dangerous.
And, as always, if someone you care about is trapped in the compulsion to use drugs (single drug or multiple drugs), contact us. We can help. We’ll explain how we restore sobriety without the use of any drugs in our rehab program. Also learn how our focus on building strong life skills helps strengthen a person against relapse. Call us today to learn more. We can help.
Read Part 1 of this article: Multiple Drug Abuse: Possibly the Most Dangerous Way to Use Drugs.
