Poly Drug Use – Why It’s So Dangerous 

When using drugs, many people use a variety of different ones at once, intentionally or unintentionally. This is called poly use. It is extremely dangerous, and unpredictable, and can increase or decrease the effects of different drugs. Unfortunately, many have died from poly use, and here we will go over the risks of varying poly use combinations.

Mixing Stimulants

When mixing different substances, several things can occur. Mixing stimulants such as ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, or amphetamines speeds up your heart rate. When your heart rate increases, your blood pressure also increases which can lead to dangerous levels. Mixing stimulants can increase your risk of brain injury, stroke, heart attack, or stroke.

When someone is overdosing on stimulants, the signs to look for are:

• Nausea or Vomiting
• Chest Pains
• Increased Body Temperature
• Fast or Troubled Breathing
• Seizures or Tremors

A person who died from mixing a variety of stimulants is Scott Weiland. Weiland was well-known for being the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, a rock band from the late 80s. It was known among the bandmates that he struggled with addiction on and off for many years. He spent thirteen years clean before a deadly combination of cocaine, alcohol, and MDMA (Methylenedioxyamphetamine) caused him to overdose on the tour bus.

Mixing Depressants

Many risks come along with mixing different depressants. By mixing substances like Heroin, Morphine, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Fentanyl, with Benzodiazepines, you can run the risk of causing damage to the brain and other organs, overdose, and even death. When overdosing, your breathing slows down, your pulse drops, and you can become confused and pass out. When your breathing and pulse are so weak, it can get to the point where you stop breathing and end up dying from it.

Gustav Elijah Åhr, more famously known as Lil Peep, died at age 21 from a Fentanyl and Xanax overdose. He was also found dead on his tour bus in Tucson, Arizona. When he was initially found unresponsive, first responders tried to revive him, but they were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mixing Stimulants and Depressants

Another deadly combination is mixing stimulants and depressants. Some people erroneously think that mixing the two cancels each other out. This is commonly known as a speedball. Typically, a speedball is mixing Heroin and Cocaine, but recently it has become Meth and Fentanyl. Mixing stimulants and depressants can cause you to become confused, incoherent, blurred vision, have drowsiness, and paranoia. It can also cause rapid heart changes, which can cause arrhythmias, heart failure, and stroke. It can also lead to having an aneurysm or respiratory failure.

River Phoenix, who was well known for his performance as a young teenager in “Stand by Me,” tragically died over an overdose at the age of twenty-three years old. He was with his girlfriend and two siblings at the Viper Room, a nightclub in LA. Later a bouncer was seen escorting Phoenix outside the nightclub, where he dropped to the ground and started convulsing. When paramedics arrived, it was too late, and Phoenix was pronounced dead.

Mixing Cocaine and Alcohol

When mixing alcohol and cocaine, your body produces a psychoactive substance called Cocaethylene. Cocaethylene can lead to seizures and liver damage and compromise the function of the immune system. When Cocathylene is produced, it can be 30% more toxic than cocaine. When alcohol is being consumed, it slows down the elimination process meaning that not all the Cocaethylene can be expelled from the liver, leaving about 20% left. When alcohol consumption continues, it can cause Cocaethylene to pass through into the bloodstream, harming tissues and organs, which makes mixing cocaine and alcohol extremely dangerous.

Risks of mixing cocaine and alcohol:

• Heart Attack
• Overdose
• Irregular Heartbeat
• Liver Damage
• Heart Damage
• Risk of Cancer
• Sudden Death from Cocaethylene Toxicity
• Bleeding in the Brain
• Increased Risk of Cancer
• Stroke

Mac Miller died at 26 years old from using a combination of cocaine, alcohol, and Fentanyl. Mac Miller was sold fake, Fentanyl laced pills instead of Oxycodone and combining that with Cocaine and alcohol led to his accidental overdose and death.

Many more have lost their lives to drugs. If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, reach out before it’s too late. So many think it will never happen to them, and the next thing they know, it does. Here at Narconon, we work to get to the underlying reason as to why someone abuses drugs, and we don’t label them as an addict for life. The first step is reaching out for help.

Sources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/polysubstance-use/index.html
• https://www.training.fadaa.org/Speedballing/Speedballing_PPT.pdf
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cocaine-and-alcohol
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9243342/
• https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/scott-weiland-cause-of-death-accidental-overdose-33037/
• https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/16/entertainment/lil-peep-dead
• https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/river-phoenix-dies
• https://www.npr.org/2022/05/17/1099449075/mac-miller-drug-dealer-stephen-walter-prison-fentanyl