PCP and Alcohol Substance Abuse
Mixing alcohol with the anesthetic PCP is dangerous and can be life-threatening. The hazards of alcohol intoxication, combined with the effects of PCP use, increase the likelihood of injury or death by overdose. In addition, the unpredictability of how these substances respond together makes them especially dangerous.
If you’ve been experimenting with drug use and combining substances with alcohol, that’s a sign of a substance use disorder. Call Zinnia Health at (855) 430-9439 for more information about substance abuse and PCP’s effects, and learn about how you can get on the path to long-term recovery.
What Are the Dangers of Mixing Alcohol With PCP?
Mixing alcohol with PCP can lead to intense sedation to the point where a person experiences respiratory depression, loss of consciousness, or death from overdose.
The combination also increases the likelihood of:
- Uncontrolled movement
- Violent behavior
- Psychosis
Can You Drink on PCP?
PCP (phencyclidine) is a hallucinogenic drug, and many people take it to induce a psychedelic trip. The intensity of this trip is unpredictable, so a person may drink as a way to relax during the trip because alcohol has a sedative effect that people often seek to forget about their problems or have a “good time.”
Since alcohol behaves differently than PCP, mixing the two can lead to unpredictable results. PCP is a mind-altering drug that acts on the central nervous system (CNS). It alters how the brain behaves by blocking certain chemicals and changing how they work. Alcohol also works on the central nervous system by depressing its functions.
In a party atmosphere, PCP’s mind-altering effects may cause a person to drink more heavily than usual, putting them at risk of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate emergency treatment by a healthcare professional. A person with alcohol poisoning may pass out or fall into a coma; PCP enhances this risk.
How Long After Taking PCP Can You Drink Alcohol?
If you have consumed PCP, you should wait at least 24 hours before consuming alcohol to ensure that the drug is out of your system.
Mixing the two can increase your risk of alcohol or PCP overdose, which has symptoms like:
- Loss of consciousness
- Convulsions or seizures
- Coma
- Uncontrolled movement
- Psychosis
- Catatonic state
- Violent behavior
Why Do People Mix Alcohol With PCP?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) reported that more than 139 million U.S. adults aged 12 and up have drunk alcohol, and 65.8 million have admitted to binge drinking in the past month. In some instances, the same individuals who reported PCP use have also reported abusing alcohol.
Experimental users believe that taking PCP will be a one-time experience. However, PCP is considered a Schedule II controlled substance with a high potential for abuse. According to the DEA, people who use Schedule II drugs can develop a physical and psychological dependence on them. This may exacerbate the need to drink in order to cope with addiction-fueled hallucinations.
Since PCP has a bitter taste, some users mix the white crystalline powder with beverages, while others crush PCP tablets and snort the powder while drinking.
It’s also important to note that PCP has many street names, so a person may unwittingly mix PCP with alcohol because they only know the drug as:
- Angel dust
- Supergrass
- Peace pill
- Rocket fuel
Why Is It Dangerous to Mix PCP with Alcohol?
According to the University of Michigan, mixing drugs with alcohol can have unpredictable and unwanted consequences.
They discovered three ways harm can occur from drug-alcohol interactions:
- People are caught offguard when they experience unexpected drug interactions.
- People believe that mixing drugs and alcohol can “enrich” their high.
- It can render a person defenseless, increasing their risk of being a victim of a crime.
Due to the “feel-good” nature of both alcohol and PCP, a person mixing them may become hooked. Repeated use leads to addiction, and the person develops a tolerance, requiring more to get the same feeling as the first time.
When a person repeatedly uses PCP and abuses alcohol, trying to stop abruptly can cause troubling withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms of PCP and alcohol may include:
- A heightened state of anxiety
- Increased agitation without provocation
- Feeling overexcited and irritable
- Hallucinating or feeling like they’re trapped in a nightmare
- Twitching
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Suicidal thoughts
- Rapid heart rate
The effects of withdrawal may lead a person to use more of the drug to cope. However, using too much PCP can lead to an overdose.
If you or a loved one displays any of the above symptoms and have used PCP alone or with another substance like alcohol, contact Zinnia Health at (855) 430-9439 to find out how we can help. We offer several inpatient treatment options and are here to answer any questions you have about addiction treatment for substance use or PCP addiction.
What Can Happen if You Drink on PCP?
When a person mixes alcohol with PCP, they may experience:
- Feelings of detachment: A person taking PCP may feel like they’re not real or they’re in a dream state.
- Numbness: The individual may experience numbness of their face or limbs.
- Difficulty speaking: This person will have slurred or delayed speech due to impaired motor skills.
- Delusions of superhuman strength: A person on PCP will feel they can do the impossible. They may also feel invulnerable. This symptom increases the risk of serious injury.
Signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication are similar to symptoms of PCP use, making them indistinguishable.
A person mixing alcohol with PCP may display any of the following signs and symptoms:
- Slurred speech
- Dizziness
- Loss of balance and coordination
- Shallow breathing
- Nausea and vomiting
- Disorientation
- Drooling
- Incoherence
- Clammy skin
What Are the Symptoms From Drinking Alcohol with PCP?
One of the biggest risks of mixing PCP and alcohol is the inability to gauge reality, leading to the following risks:
- False sense of invincibility. A person who consumes these substances together may believe they’re invincible.
- Enhanced risk of injury. This person may assume they’re capable of driving a car or using dangerous appliances, despite the contrary. They may also provoke fights with strangers, believing they can win. They could even injure someone, believing the person is “out to get them.”
- Social isolation. Under the influence of alcohol and PCP, a user’s mood is unpredictable. This causes people to stay away from them.
- A bad trip. A person who has mixed alcohol and PCP may not be aware of how much PCP they’ve taken. This can lead to a “bad trip.” A person experiencing a bad trip may become increasingly anxious and paranoid, leading to disordered thinking (schizophrenia).
Additional risks of mixing alcohol and PCP include panic attacks, irregular heartbeat, coma, and even death. A person who has used alcohol and PCP is considered a danger to themselves and others.
How to Get Help for a PCP Addiction
Recognizing you have a problem is the first step to lasting change. The right treatment facility can help you achieve this change while going through detox. This way, you aren’t experiencing the dangerous withdrawal symptoms that often accompany mixing PCP and alcohol. You may need inpatient treatment if you’ve tried to stop on your own and experienced withdrawal symptoms.
At Zinnia Health, our inpatient programs focus on behavioral change techniques through group and individual therapy. We also offer alternative therapies and outpatient programs to treat drug abuse. These include yoga and day trips to support your mental well-being and ongoing recovery. Call us at (855) 430-9439 or contact us online to get started.
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