Do you get cravings for cocaine every time you drink alcohol? Here's why it happens and how you can stop taking cocaine with alcohol.
You’ve decided that you’re not going to take cocaine any more. But as soon as you have a drink you find yourself using it again. Sound familiar?
When you mix alcohol with cocaine it creates another drug in your body called cocaethylene. Cocaethylene is similar to cocaine but gives a stronger and longer-lasting “buzz”.
It’s this buzz you start to crave once you’ve had a few drinks. But plenty of people do manage to quit cocaine and you can too.
Cocaine makes your heart beat faster and raises your blood pressure. This increases your risk of having a heart attack.
Cocaethylene is more harmful for your heart than cocaine.
This means you have a higher risk of having a heart attack when you mix cocaine with alcohol compared with taking cocaine on its own.
Taking cocaine with alcohol also means you drink more, which has its own risks.
Make a list of all the things that make you want to take cocaine - in other words, your triggers.
Are you more likely to take it:
By identifying the triggers that drive your cocaine use you can start to think of ways to avoid them.
Even if you do your best to avoid your triggers you may still experience cravings for cocaine.
It’s helpful to make a plan for when this happens.
How will you distract yourself? What will you do instead?
When you’re trying to shake off an unwanted habit, it’s important to replace it with new habits and routines.
For example, if you usually take cocaine on a Friday night, make that your gym night instead.
If you usually take cocaine with friends at the weekend, perhaps arrange to see them for lunch or a coffee on a week day instead.
Forming new routines and habits will retrain your brain so that your old habits no longer have such a grip on you.
If you start thinking about cocaine every time you have a drink, consider giving up alcohol for a bit.
This will help to break the link your brain has made between alcohol and cocaine.
We know that everyone's goals are different, whether that's making small changes or finding new ways to stay safe and healthy. Whatever your goal is, we’re here for you. We have lots more helpful advice and guides to help you get the information you need.
No matter how often you use cocaine, you can access support. We can help you cut down, make safer choices or quit altogether.
Search for your local service to see how we can help you.