Alcohol
Depressant · popular
The world's most-used recreational depressant, and among the most harmful. Effects run from social relaxation at low blood alcohol to respiratory failure and death at high levels. Withdrawal in dependent users can be fatal.
Dose and effect data: PsychonautWiki (CC BY-SA 4.0) and TripSit (PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0).
Before you dose
Dose
Published population range
Basis: Widmark: BAC% = (grams ethanol / (weight_kg x r x 1000)) x 100, minus 0.015 x hours. r = 0.68 male, 0.55 female, 0.61 unspecified.
Estimates only — food, liver health, medication and drinking speed each move this substantially.
Check an amount you already have
Timeline (oral)
Bars show relative time in each phase, scaled to the total duration. Each phase keeps its colour in the list above.
Blood alcohol estimate
Standard drinks: 2.6 · ethanol: 26 g
Widmark estimate with an average elimination rate of 0.015 %/hour. Food, liver health, medication, genetics and drinking speed move this a lot - treat it as a floor, not a licence to drive.
Expected effects
- Relaxation and disinhibition
- Sociability and talkativeness
- Euphoria
- Reduced anxiety
- Improved mood at low doses
- Muscle relaxation
Possible side effects
- Impaired judgement, coordination and reaction time
- Slurred speech
- Nausea and vomiting
- Memory blackouts
- Aggression and mood swings in some people
- Dehydration and hangover
- Dependence with daily heavy use
- Liver and pancreatic damage
- Respiratory depression and death at high blood alcohol
- Increased risk of injury and violence
Known toxicity
- Death from ethanol consumption is possible when blood alcohol levels reach 0.4%
Harm reduction
- Space drinks with water and food. Rate, not total, drives most of the acute risk.
- Never combine with benzodiazepines, opioids or GHB. That combination is a leading cause of overdose death worldwide.
- Stay with anyone who is vomiting and drowsy. Recovery position, on their side, airway clear.
- Breathing slower than one breath per 4-5 seconds, or unrousable, or blue lips: emergency services, immediately.
- Do not drive. There is no blood alcohol level at which driving is safe.
- Daily heavy use needs a medical taper - alcohol withdrawal can cause fatal seizures.
- Depressants are the class where mixing kills most often: alcohol, benzodiazepines, GHB/GBL and opioids all suppress breathing when combined.
- Never use alone. If you use alone, set up a check-in call with someone who will call emergency services if you do not answer.
- Measure liquid doses with a syringe. Bottle caps, teaspoons and 'glugs' are how people take ten times the intended dose.
- Sedation can be delayed. Do not re-dose before you can feel the previous dose fully.
Mixing
See interaction notes for details.
See interaction notes for details.
Ethanol ingestion may potentiate the CNS effects of many benzodiazepines. The two substances potentiate each other strongly and unpredictably, very rapidly leading to unconsciousness. While unconscious, vomit aspiration is a risk if not placed in the recovery position. Blacking out and memory loss is almost certain.
See interaction notes for details.
Even in very low doses this combination rapidly leads to memory loss, severe ataxia and unconsciousness. There is a high risk of vomit aspiration while unconscious.
Both substances cause ataxia and bring a very high risk of vomiting and unconsciousness. If the user falls unconscious while under the influence there is a severe risk of vomit aspiration if they are not placed in the recovery position.
There is a high risk of memory loss, vomiting and severe ataxia from this combination.
Both substances potentiate the ataxia and sedation caused by the other and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. Place the affected individual in the recovery position to prevent vomit aspiration from excess. Memory blackouts are likely
Heavy CNS depressants, risk of seizures. Both substances potentiate the ataxia and sedation caused by the other and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. Place the affected individual in the recovery position to prevent vomit aspiration from excess. Memory blackouts are likely.
Cocaine can decrease some of the intoxicating effects of alcohol, causing some people to drink more than they otherwise would, which leads to greater behavioral and physical health risks. There is also some debate about cocaethylene, a metabolite produced when combining alcohol and cocaine, with some researchers positing that it is more cardiotoxic than cocaine on its own. Use moderation when combining these substances.
Tyramine found in many alcoholic beverages can have dangerous reactions with MAOIs, causing an increase in blood pressure.
Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
Tolerance, dependence and detection
Sources
• PsychonautWiki — Alcohol (CC BY-SA 4.0)
https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Alcohol
• TripSit wiki — Alcohol (PolyForm Noncommercial)
https://wiki.tripsit.me
• Erowid experience reports (external)
https://www.erowid.org/experiences/subs/exp_Alcohol.shtml
Dosina is educational harm-reduction information, not medical advice. Doses are population ranges from published sources and cannot account for your tolerance, health conditions or what is actually in your substance. Possession and use may be illegal where you live.