Insufficient quality sleep can significantly impact your overall health. To achieve restful nights, some individuals resort to medications like Ambien, while others may use alcohol to relax and prepare for sleep.
However, mixing Ambien and alcohol is extremely hazardous, leading to severe health complications and potential addiction. Those desperately seeking better sleep might take dangerous risks that jeopardize their well-being.
What Is Ambien?
Ambien, the brand name for zolpidem, is a widely prescribed sedative used to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia. It functions by encouraging the brain to enter a sleep state, helping individuals fall asleep more easily. This induced relaxation is exactly what those with sleep disturbances struggle to attain, making it difficult for them to both initiate and maintain sleep.
Reasons to Avoid Combining Ambien and Alcohol
Although both Ambien and alcohol can induce relaxation, there are significant reasons to refrain from using them together.
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1. It Is Dangerous
Excessive alcohol consumption can severely affect your health, just as prolonged use of Ambien can lead to adverse health outcomes. Combining these substances can intensify their negative effects on the body.
When mixed, these depressants interact dangerously, as both slow down the central nervous system, leading to reduced heart rate and impaired respiratory function.
This combination can dangerously lower respiration and heart rate, potentially resulting in coma or death. Even if the most severe outcomes are avoided, mixing these depressants can cause significant physical and cognitive impairments and may result in permanent liver damage.
Additional harmful physical effects of combining Ambien and alcohol include:
- Intense drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Impaired judgment
- Sleepwalking
- Sleep apnea
2. Risk of Addiction Increases
Healthcare providers typically prescribe Ambien for short durations, often no longer than two weeks, due to the risk of dependence and addiction with extended use. While under Ambien treatment, doctors monitor patients closely for signs of misuse. However, individuals desperate for quality sleep might become reliant on Ambien beyond the prescribed period. Over time, the effectiveness of the drug may diminish, leading patients to increase their dosage and prolong usage, which heightens the risk of addiction. Since alcohol is also an addictive substance, combining it with Ambien significantly raises the likelihood of developing a dependency.
3. Elevated Overdose Risk
Using multiple substances simultaneously heightens the risk of accidental overdose. Symptoms of an Ambien overdose or an overdose resulting from mixing Ambien with alcohol include:
- Pinpoint pupils (miosis) under normal lighting
- Suppressed breathing
- Slurred speech
- Inability to awaken
- Coma
- Death
4. Worsened Withdrawal Symptoms
If addiction occurs, using multiple substances, known as polysubstance abuse, can complicate the detoxification process and require more intensive medical intervention. Research conducted by The Recovery Village indicates that polysubstance abuse increases the likelihood of experiencing more severe or dangerous withdrawal symptoms during alcohol detox. Compared to individuals detoxing solely from alcohol, those withdrawing from alcohol and at least one other substance were:
- 2.14 times more likely to experience Delirium tremens (DT)
- 2.25 times more likely to suffer seizures
- 1.6 times more likely to encounter hallucinations
Treating Ambien and Alcohol Addiction
Long-term misuse of Ambien and alcohol is a perilous and potentially lethal combination. If you or someone you care about is struggling with an addiction to Ambien, alcohol, or both, professional treatment programs are available. Reach out to The Recovery Village Salem to speak with a representative who can guide you through the process of starting treatment for alcohol or Ambien addiction.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction to Ambien and alcohol, The Recovery Village Salem is here to help. Our comprehensive treatment programs are designed to support lasting recovery and improve your overall health. Contact us today to take the first step toward a healthier, addiction-free life.
