Taking more than one chemical substance at a time is known as polydrug abuse. when taken alone, most illicit chemical substances are extremely dangerous – especially when they are taken in high doses. they can lead to a wide range of serious health-related consequences, including seizures, coma, and fatality. However, when two or more chemical substances are combined, the risk of these health-related consequences increases significantly.
The effects of mixing two drugs will depend heavily on which drugs are mixed, how pure the chemical substance is, who it is that is combining the chemical substances, and where people are when they are engaging in polydrug abuse. There are many notorious and popular types of polydrug abuse. For example, combining cocaine with heroin is known as “speedballing.” People who abuse heroin often combine it with a range of other chemical substances to intensify its effects. In recent times, men and women have been combining heroin with benzodiazepines like Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin. mixing Xanax and heroin has become common practice, but it is important to understand that doing this – even one time – can be lethal.
Heroin Addiction and Xanax Addiction
Heroin and Xanax are both central nervous system depressants, and they have very similar side effects (including respiratory depression, decreased heart rate, and lowered blood pressure). Individually, these substances can be extremely dangerous when abused. Combined, they can easily result in a lethal overdose.
Heroin is an illicit opioid narcotic, one that is responsible for thousands of overdose-related deaths on an annual basis. Xanax is a prescription benzodiazepine, most commonly used to treat moderate or severe anxiety. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 16 percent of the overdose deaths that involved an opioid like heroin in 2019 also involved a benzodiazepine like Xanax. it is estimated that every single day roughly 136 American adults lose their lives after experiencing an opioid overdose.
Therapy for Heroin and Xanax Dependence
However, it was recently reported that a lot of opioid overdoses also include benzodiazepines – and this isn’t a surprise, seeing as benzodiazepines are prescribed at a truly alarming rate. NIDA also reported that between the years of 1996 and 2013, the number of men and women over the age of 18 who filled a prescription for Xanax or another benzodiazepine increased by 67 percent. This equates to 13.5 million prescriptions being filled on an annual basis. Because both chemical substances can result in respiratory depression, an overdose is extremely common. If you know someone who has been combining Xanax and heroin, professional help is essential – and Woburn Wellness Addiction Treatment is available to help.
Woburn Wellness Addiction Treatment – Comprehensive Recovery
At Woburn Wellness Addiction Treatment, we offer a comprehensive program of addiction recovery geared towards men and women who have been engaging in polydrug abuse of any kind. We serve men and women in Woburn, Massachusetts, and all surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the state of Massachusetts has been especially hard-hit by the recent nationwide heroin epidemic. Many people are fully aware of the devastation that drug addiction causes simply because the cunning, baffling, and powerful disease has affected so many people in communities throughout the East Coast.
The good news is that if you or someone you love has been struggling with heroin addiction or has been combining heroin with other chemical substances like Xanax, there is professional help readily available in Massachusetts. All you have to do is pick up the phone and give us a call, and we will begin developing a plan for your intake, or the intake of your loved one. We understand just how devastating and helpless the disease of addiction can feel because many of our staff members have either been through the recovery process themselves or have helped a family member through the process. This means that we will always approach your situation with a level of compassion and empathy that you will not find anywhere else. Simply give us a call today to learn more about our program of polydrug abuse recovery, or to begin your journey of long-term healing.
