Kratom and Alcohol

Kratom is fairly new to the drug scene. The latest in a line of “legal” drugs to hit US markets, Kratom is quickly becoming a problem in some parts of the country. Kratom is synthesized from an opiate-like leaf of a tree grown Southwest Asia, and its sale is legal in the United States. Its effects are similar to heroin and prescription painkillers like oxycodone and it can be more dangerous than illicit drugs. Naturally, combining Kratom and alcohol can be dangerous. When combined, this mixture has an effect that is greater than either drug on its own.

Kratom and Alcohol: CNS Depressants

Both Kratom and alcohol are classified as central nervous system depressants. Central nervous system depressants slow down the normal activity that goes on in the brain. Combining multiple depressants is dangerous because when they are combined, the depressive properties of Kratom and alcohol increase exponentially. This can easily lead to overdose and death.

Both alcohol and Kratom significantly slow the brain and motor functions of the body, which can also knock a person out. Alcohol increases the absorption of Kratom, making the high happen faster and longer, which is why they are often mixed. Users hope to experience a stronger high.

Drinking while on Kratom slows your heart rate and your breathing. Taking Kratom and alcohol together can slow the system to the point that your heart stops. In addition to alcohol increasing the depressant effects of Kratom in the body, the opposite is true also. Kratom makes alcohol stronger and more dangerous. Kratom increases the absorption rate of alcohol in the body and makes the sedative qualities of alcohol more potent.

Kratom and Alcohol: Effects

Mixing Kratom and alcohol can have a number of different effects. These include things like:

• dizziness
• drowsiness
• slowed breathing
• slowed heart rate
• significantly impaired motor skills
• tremors

Kratom and Alcohol: Overdose

Kratom is part of a class of drugs known as opiates. 98% of reported opiate overdoses have included the co-use of alcohol and/or other central nervous system depressants. Because of the volatility of the combination of Kratom and alcohol, can stop your breathing, your heart, or cause alcohol poisoning. Any one of these situations can kill you.

Kratom and Alcohol: Dependence

Both Kratom and alcohol are drugs of abuse. They produce euphoria by increasing the dopamine production in the brain. Because of the potent effect of combining Kratom and alcohol, the use of both together increases the rate of tolerance. Tolerance is when your body gets used to a drug and you need more and more to produce the same result. When the body becomes tolerant to Kratom and alcohol and then use is stopped, the body experiences symptoms of withdrawal. The symptoms of withdrawal of Kratom and alcohol together are more extreme than withdrawal from either substance alone. In some cases, it can even be life threatening. People have been known to have seizures and delirium tremens (DT’s) when withdrawing from Kratom and alcohol. DT’s are characterized by rapid heartbeat, fever, and confusion, and, in a certain number of cases, result in death.

Source:

http://alcohol.addictionblog.org/mixing-opiates-and-alcohol/

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