Pills and Booze

[The Duke]

Anyone have any experience or know others who do? I've got a friend that has cut his drinking down but I think his new thing is codeine. We have gone out and he drinks no more than 2-3 drinks in a couple hours and then he gets a little incoherent, paranoid, , anxiety kicks in and he starts asking if everyone is alright, his confidence tanks, and twice now he has fell over backwards. It's not just alcohol, but he has been a heavy drinker in the past for years. He claims he isn't taking any codeine but I don't believe him.

Any thoughts?

 

[RazorRambo24]

Codeine and opiates make you feel better, not worse. Alcohol just potentiates them if anything, not vice versa. I mean if his confidence is tanking and hes acting paranoid, i have no idea what it is.. I woulda said Xanax but xanax alleviates anxiety, so it makes little sense that hes acting anxious and paranoid. Maybe hes coming off of drugs? IF so, it can be the withdrawal symptoms of any of a number of drugs...

I've done almost every popularly known drug before.. Faling over and stuff like that, probably means hes on a downer but can also be on a disassociative that doees that.. ie: Ketamine. But you can usually add 2 and 2 together. Ie: if he has been injured on the job recently and done construction or a labor job, its likely hes gotten on pain killers (opiates) and developed an addiction. The symptoms you provided here don't seem like opiates though.

Why not just ask him if hes your friend?

 

[Divorced w 3]

I used to fvck periodically with dry goods. Not often and not for a long time. Amongst other things they do a real number on your sexual performance. Health is the best drug. Corny but true.

 

[Billtx49]

Different types of alcohol don’t usually mix well.
Mixing alcohol and certain pills can one way or another get a person ending up dead …
2-3 drinks shouldn’t have your described effect on him.

@Howiestern, if you value him and his friendship, it sounds to me like you need to have a serious talk with your friend.

 

[CBear]

Either bad anxiety and/or psych meds.

 

[The Duke]

Codeine and opiates make you feel better, not worse. Alcohol just potentiates them if anything, not vice versa. I mean if his confidence is tanking and hes acting paranoid, i have no idea what it is.. I woulda said Xanax but xanax alleviates anxiety, so it makes little sense that hes acting anxious and paranoid. Maybe hes coming off of drugs? IF so, it can be the withdrawal symptoms of any of a number of drugs...

I've done almost every popularly known drug before.. Faling over and stuff like that, probably means hes on a downer but can also be on a disassociative that doees that.. ie: Ketamine. But you can usually add 2 and 2 together. Ie: if he has been injured on the job recently and done construction or a labor job, its likely hes gotten on pain killers (opiates) and developed an addiction. The symptoms you provided here don't seem like opiates though.

Why not just ask him if hes your friend?

I have. Addicts and alcoholis lie. He isn't being honest.

 

[Giovanni SouthSide]

This reeks of panic/anxiety attacks. Flight or fight trigger. This is brutal for a first timer. If he is a solid in your circle catch him on a sober tip all relaxed and be like "lets go for a walk". Talk to him.
Sometimes people just want someone who will listen.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Howie is your friend taking any marijuana products?

 

[Stanley]

It could be any number of drugs from uppers/downers.

Over the summer I ended up in the hospital for a pain killer (meloxicam) I was on and suffered from GI bleed and some heart issues after drinking. The drug which was meant to address my back pain cause anxiety among other things. I've been extremally cautious ever since about being on any meds and drinking. It sounds to me like he's on the verge of panic attacks, my mind goes to things like LSD, Edibles, MDMA, but who can say... he could be on an ssri or something like xanax and be going through withdrawal.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I've done a fair share of drugs but never opiates as they don't interest me. But, I do know that most drugs don't interact well with alcohol and can bring out negative side effects of other drugs and further tax your liver. If he's still on Codeine or whatever else I'd suggest he completely stop drinking. If I take something when I go out (phenibut, white kratom, or stimulants) I usually only have 1-2 drinks the entire night because the alcohol will just ruin everything otherwise.

The only drug that goes well with alcohol is caffeine (provided you drink plenty of water).

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Nope but I think you should be talking to him about getting help, although if he doesn't think he has an issue then nothing you say will matter, he has to acknowledge he has a problem first, and that usually doesn't happen until they can no longer lie to themselves and they've hit rock bottom.

 

[The Duke]

Howie is your friend taking any marijuana products?

Nope

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Nope

Is he vaccinated?

 

[The Duke]

Is he vaccinated?

No

 

[Pierce Manhammer]

He needs to come off everything and then try alcohol, see if it happens.

Then if he wants to zero in on the culprit add the recreational (one each time alone), look for the effect.

The best thing to do is just stop everything.

 

[LiveYourDream]

I know this is a long-shot, but I thought of you and your friend as I listened to part of this podcast. At about 1hr 51 minutes they go into an aside about findings of how blood alcohol processing can become significantly altered while on a keto diet. To the tune of 5x, was shown in an animal study. Suggesting a person MAY only have 2 drinks but, surprise to them, their blood alcohol level and level of impairment could reflect as if they actually had 10 drinks instead. As such, could be dangerous. They suggested if someone has been away from alcohol, goes keto, then drinks alcohol while on keto, their body may process the alcohol significantly different. They suggest it is something to be aware of, especially if driving.

I don’t have the capacity to detail it out right now. Little snippet at 1:51 ish. Long-shot perhaps, but perhaps worth a listen. It is just a couple minutes long.

Your friend is fortunate to have you caring as you do. I hope he is as concerned with what is happening with him, as you are. I hope he gets honest with himself and with you. I hope he shifts gears as needed to be healthy again.