dangers of Mixing cocaine and alcohol

             Cocaine is often a party drug used at clubs, festivals, and parties. Partiers that drink alcohol often use cocaine at the same time to diminish the sedative effects of alcohol and make them more alert. Mixing cocaine with alcohol is dangerous for many reasons. Firstly, alcohol is a depressant and cocaine is a stimulant so mixing them can make the user feel more sober than they actually are. Cocaine use while drunk can make someone feel as if they can drink more without getting sick or “blacking out.” Cocaine use while drunk can lead someone to drinking much more alcohol than they realize making alcohol poisoning and injury from falling much more likely. Secondly, mixing cocaine and alcohol creates a very unique chemical reaction in the body. Mixing these drugs creates the psychoactive chemical cocaethylene in the body. Cocaehtylene causes the euphoric effects of cocaine to increase and create severe toxicity in the cardiovascular system.

                 Since alcohol is a depressant it causes the cardiovascular system to relax and dilates blood vessels including the vessels in the nose. Dilated nose blood vessels means that more of the cocaine snorted will reach the blood stream and heighten the drug effects even more. Cocaethylene is extremely toxic and more damaging than either cocaine or alcohol by themselves. The damage caused by alcohol plus cocaine plus cocaethylene makes this drug combination one of the most dangerous and toxic there is.