Polysubstance Abuse Explained: Risks, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Why Do People Mix Substances?

• Enhancing or Counterbalancing Effects
  One of the main reasons why mixing drugs and alcohol is common is to either enhance or counterbalance each other’s effects. While this might seem like controlling or fine-tuning the experience, in reality, it only leads to more dangerous consequences because of drug interactions and other complications.
• Coping with Stress or Mental Health Struggles
  Oftentimes, polysubstance abuse co-occurs with mental health struggles. For instance, someone with anxiety might reach out to a combination of alcohol and benzodiazepines to feel more relaxed, whereas someone with depression might mix different stimulants to experience a high or euphoria. In other words, this is just a way to numb the pain and suffering within – a coping mechanism, albeit a deadly one. 
• Experimentation or Recreational Use 
  What may begin as experimentation or recreational use can become a pattern and then a habit, eventually leading to dependence – where you feel like you cannot function normally without using these drugs. 
• Unintentional Use
  Many times, people may not use multiple substances intentionally. Sometimes, it goes with not knowing the risks while being on prescription medication, or there can be street drugs that have been laced with additives that a person may not even be aware of. For instance, there are times when opioids are laced with fentanyl, which many might take even without knowing of its presence.

Signs and Symptoms of Polysubstance Addiction

While we have spoken at length about how polysubstance abuse can be harmful for you, the immediate signs and symptoms of polysubstance addiction can be very pleasing. For instance, you can experience the following:

• Intense high or relaxation
• Sleepiness and drowsiness
• Excitation.

But over time, this use becomes harmful to your physical and mental health. You can experience:

• Mood shifts
• Sleeplessness
• Muscle pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Intense withdrawal symptoms that can be both painful and dangerous.

Furthermore, polysubstance use can lead to a number of complications. The most severe two being overdose and death. An overdose occurs when a toxic amount of multiple substances enters your body, which can affect your organs and can easily turn life-threatening if not provided immediate medical attention.

Dangers of Polysubstance Abuse

Mixing drugs and alcohol may seem like it makes for an intense experience or a balancing experience. However, combining these substances together not only amplifies or counterbalances the effects but also multiplies the risks. Substances can interact in your body in unpredictable ways, making overdose and death more likely than with single substance use. But we have discussed this before.

However, on the other hand, there are other dangers of polysubstance abuse in how it affects your brain and other essential organs. Polysubstance use changes brain chemistry and functioning, affecting your cognition, emotion, and memories. Moreover, we know that substances have a direct effect on the functioning of your liver, kidneys, and heart. Multiple substance use disorders can take a more severe toll on your body and further damage it. 

Diagnosing Polysubstance Use Disorder

While the signs and symptoms of polysubstance addiction can be evident, a licensed and trained healthcare provider diagnoses polysubstance abuse by asking you questions about your symptoms, experiences, and substance use history. They will also conduct drug tests and physical examinations to learn more about the kind of substance you use. Furthermore, licensed and trained mental health practitioners will use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) to check if you meet the diagnosis of a multiple substance use disorder and refer you to a certain level of care depending on your needs and symptoms.

Treatment Options for Polysubstance Abuse

Polysubstance abuse or multiple substance use disorder is indeed a severe condition that even increases the risk of premature death. But on the other side, there is hope – the hope for recovery with a systematic approach of detoxification (detox), psychotherapy, medication, social support, and aftercare. Polysubstance use can be treated in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with 24*7 medical supervision for more severe symptoms and even other outpatient options like partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs).

• Medically supervised detox begins with getting rid of harmful substances by gradually tapering off their levels from your body to minimize and manage cravings as well as withdrawal symptoms.
• However, detox does not understand your emotions or behaviors leading to polysubstance use. Therefore, psychotherapeutic interventions involving motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, contingency management, 12-step recovery models, and other modalities are used to uncover and change the underlying patterns leading to multiple substance use disorders.
• Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, is also provided to reduce your symptoms and prevent relapse. Typically, the FDA approves medications like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone for treating opioid use. However, they have off-label uses in treating other substance misuse patterns as well.
• Aftercare is equally crucial as your treatment. It ensures your recovery is a sustainable journey and minimizes the chances of relapse, which can run as high as 40% to 60%. Aftercare involves ongoing therapy/counseling, medication management, social support involving Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and other 12-step/non-12-step meetings, and sober housing. Aftercare will provide you with the structure and support you need as you journey from treatment to total independence.

Recovery Outlook and Long-Term Support

Recovery and sobriety can become your tangible realities after your experience and struggles with multiple substance use disorders and other co-occurring mental health conditions. However, to ensure your recovery is sustainable, you need to remember that recovery is a journey and not a destination. This is why you need long-term support even after you have completed detox and rehabilitation (rehab).

Long-term support involves aftercare and sober living environments. The time between treatment and independent daily living is known as early recovery, and you are still vulnerable to the triggers and stressors that have led you to polysubstance abuse in the past. Therefore, by providing you a substance-free, structured environment away from your familiar triggers and stressors, sober living homes become transitional living environments you share with other peers in recovery as you build on your tools, skills, and community in this journey toward independence. 

Your Healing Begins Here. Reach Out to Sober Living West Today!

If you or a loved one is struggling with polysubstance use or multiple substance use disorder, do not delay your recovery any longer. Early intervention and care can enhance the prognosis, but there are both inpatient and outpatient recovery options to meet you wherever you are in your recovery journey. Reach out to Sober Living West, and we will connect you with reputable rehab centers that specialize in polysubstance abuse treatment. We also provide supervised and structured sober living homes that become your transitional bridge as you journey from treatment to daily life.