pills heroin and cocaine

Mixing Drugs Can Be a Death Sentence

There have been numerous reports of heroin or opioid overdoses resulting in death in the media as of late. Unfortunately, this has been common knowledge when tuning into your local news program.

The threat posed by heroin in the US is serious and has increased steadily since 2007. The reason behind this is; heroin is available in larger quantities, used by a larger number of people, and is causing increasing numbers of overdose deaths. Per the DEA, in 2014, 10,574 Americans died of heroin related overdoses, more then triple the number in 2010. Increased demand for, and use of, heroin is being driven by both increasing availability of heroin in the US market and by some controlled prescription drug (CPD) abusers using heroin. CPD users often begin using heroin mainly due to price consideration, being that heroin is so much cheaper.

The overdoses are suspected of being caused by a variety of reasons. With the onset of increased users, high purity batches (causing accidental overdoses) and an increase in new users, many of whom are young and inexperienced (again causing accidental overdoses). Then you have abusers of prescription opioids, initiating use of heroin. The illicitly manufactured drug with varying purities and the use of highly toxic adulterants such as fentanyl in certain markets are all causes of the heroin overdose epidemic.

Polydrug Abuse

What is meant by heroin related deaths? This means that often the addict is a poly drug user. Poly drug use refers to the use of two or more psychoactive drugs in combination to achieve a particular effect. This is what can be fatal for the addict. The addict, only chasing the high, will often mix heroin, with alcohol or other prescription medication, whether it is another opioid, a benzodiazepine, cocaine, or all of the above or a combination, the result can be death. This is often referred to as, Combined Drug Intoxication (CDI), also known as multiple drug intake (MDI) or lethal polydrug/polypharmacy intoxication, is an unnatural cause of human death. CDI is often confused with Drug Overdose, but it is a completely different phenomenon.

Poly drug use information is important when dealing with anyone who you suspect of a potential drug and alcohol dependency. It is of importance to anyone who may party on the weekend as the mixing of these powerful drugs and alcohol can be deadly. If you know someone who is into mixing drugs and alcohol, even socially, you should alert them to this danger. 

When dealing with someone who is addicted, it is vital to find out all the drugs, medication and alcohol the individual may be abusing. As he will often lie when confronted with possible drug use, it is of the utmost importance that you get the person on the phone or in front of a professional. Someone who can talk to the individual and gain his confidence, to get the complete picture of what is going on with the person and find out the extent of his or her drug use. Then you can tackle talking to him about getting real help for his drug problem, before it results in overdose and possible death.

At Narconon, we’ve helped many individuals who were heroin or polydrug abusers, as well as any of the gamut of drugs and alcohol that can be abused. 

We have counselors standing by to take your confidential call and help you or your family member. Don’t wait, call Narconon Ojai today (877)936-7435. 

AUTHOR

Kathy

Kathy Dion has worked in the addiction field for almost 2 decades. As a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Clinical Supervisor, she has been instrumental in the opening of new centers, supervised numerous facilities and helped thousands of addicts.

NARCONON OJAI

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION