Can a Recovering Heroin Addict Drink Alcohol? How Sobriety Supports Recovery

Substances with high addiction potential may work on the brain in slightly different ways, but they have one thing in common. They raise the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine. One of dopamine’s roles in the body is to teach people to do things that ensure the survival of the species, such as eating, procreation, and social bonding. Drugs hijack the system and trick the body into producing much more dopamine than natural rewards usually do. Generally, the more rapid and intense the dopamine surge, the more likely it is for someone to become addicted to whatever caused it.

There’s a saying in the world of brain science that “neurons that fire together wire together.” This means that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors trigger neurons to communicate with each other through a pathway in the brain and over time, these pathways become very efficient. When an experience is repeated, the brain saves time and energy by following the neuronal path it already established.

By the time people become addicted to heroin, their brains have come to associate a dopamine surge with the experience of taking the drug. When they consume alcohol or anything else that raises dopamine rapidly, the brain tends to rely on its old neural networks and to send a reminder that heroin can also cause this state. The association can trigger strong cravings and lead to relapse. Drinking can also trigger relapse simply because it lowers inhibitions and makes people more likely to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise, such as take a drug that once enslaved them.

Drinking can also be problematic because people in recovery from heroin addiction can simply trade one addiction for another and become dependent on alcohol. Although addiction can affect anyone, those who’ve been addicted to one substance are at higher risk than the general population of becoming addicted to something else. This can be due to either changes in the brain caused by the first substance of abuse or by psychological and physical characteristics that make addiction to anything more likely.

New addictions (sometimes called cross addictions) can develop at any point, even after years of sobriety, but people may be especially vulnerable early in the recovery process. One reason for this is that when drugs or alcohol cause the body to produce more of a neurotransmitter than it generally produces naturally, it tries to restore balance by reducing the amount it makes or by making receptor cells less sensitive to the chemical. This generally means that when people stop taking a drug they’ve been taking for a while, their levels of certain neurotransmitters, including dopamine, are low. Consciously or subconsciously people may be looking for something else, like alcohol, to provide a dopamine rush. Unfortunately, this can start the process all over again, of the substance raising neurotransmitter levels, the body compensating, and the person needing to use increasing amounts in order to feel the effect they once felt from a smaller dose.

New addictions can also occur because of underlying risk factors that pre-dated the first addiction. Sometimes these are genetic. Just as some people need to be more careful with their diet because of a higher genetic risk of heart disease, others need to be more careful of consuming potentially addictive substances because of a higher genetic risk of addiction. Life circumstances can also make addiction more likely. These include trauma and co-occurring mental health conditions like depression or anxiety.

If you’re a recovering heroin addict, thinking about why you might want to drink can help you determine what areas of your recovery might need some renewed focus. Here are some questions to consider:

• Do you think more about drinking when you feel anxious or stressed? If so, focusing on stress management techniques, like meditation, breathing exercises, stretching, or progressive muscle relaxation may be a good idea.
• Does drinking come to mind when you think about wanting to celebrate or have a good time? If it’s hard to imagine really having fun without using a brain-altering substance, it may be time to examine that connection. Because neurons that fire together wire together, it may take some time before your brain associates sobriety and celebration, but be patient with yourself and give your brain time to form new pathways. Developing new sober hobbies and interests can help.
• Do you want to drink because you want to fit in with your friends? Humans are social creatures and it’s normal not to want to stand out from the group. Sometimes, though, social norms aren’t particularly healthy ones. If you feel pressured to drink by your friends, it may be time to consider finding new ones. On the other hand, you may find more understanding than you think you will when you simply tell your friends that you’ve chosen not to drink.