What Happens When You Mix Morphine and Alcohol?

Abusing morphine can leave you with a harmful drug dependency that is only exacerbated by alcohol use. When you mix two depressants like this, the effects of each drug are multiplied exponentially. Combining these drugs causes severe central nervous system depression, the side effects of which can start with difficulty breathing and lead to overdose, coma, and death.

If you find yourself dependent on morphine, don’t start drinking — it will only make matters worse. Instead, reach out to someone who’s been in your shoes and knows how to get you the help you deserve. Intake coordinators at The Recovery Village are ready and waiting for your call, and will do everything they can to ensure you are empowered to stop using morphine for good.

What Is Morphine?

Named after the Greek god of dreams, morphine is a powerful opioid compound derived from the poppy plant. This narcotic is considered the gold standard for pain killers and is often used in the emergency room and prescribed for post-surgery. Taken as a tablet or injected in a liquid form, morphine blocks your body’s pain receptors and depresses the central nervous system to produce feelings of euphoria. However, taken outside of the guidance of a doctor, morphine can be just as addictive — and potentially life-threatening — like any other opioid.

What Are the Side Effects of Morphine and Alcohol?

There’s a reason clinicians forbid drinking for anyone taking opioids, including morphine. The effects of opiates are magnified by ingesting ethyl alcohol, and too many drinks can actually speed up morphine metabolism to the point where the individual’s life is endangered. Anyone who takes these two substances simultaneously can expect to experience side effects like:

• Hallucinations
• Constipation
• Extreme dizziness
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea
• Paranoia and panic
• Liver disease
• Kidney failure
• Overdose
• Coma

Dangers of Mixing Morphine and Alcohol

To avoid severe bodily injury and overdose, morphine and alcohol should never be ingested together. Like alcohol, morphine is a depressant. Both substances work to slowly suppress the central nervous system, lowering heart rate to dangerous levels and straining the respiratory system, which can make it difficult to breathe. Ethyl alcohol also increases the rate at which morphine is absorbed by the bloodstream, making it dangerously easy to take too many pills to reach the same high or drink more to feel the effects. This fast absorption can lead to dizziness, confusion, and paranoia.

Using these substances together also increases your risk of overdose exponentially, as it will become harder and harder to control the high or the effects on your body. Over time, popping morphine pills and downing drinks at the same time can lead to serious health problems like cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, and even kidney failure.

Editor – Megan Hull

Megan Hull is a content specialist who edits, writes and ideates content to help people find recovery. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Yuliya Sagan

Yulia is a cell and molecular biologist with expertise using embryonic stem cell models, 3D human tissue models, and animal models to investigate different human disease phenotypes including impaired wound healing, cardiovascular disease, and cancer metastasis. Read more