Consuming magic mushrooms (shrooms) and alcohol together can have unpredictable results. For this reason, doctors recommend against combining alcohol and recreational drugs such as shrooms.
Alcohol and shrooms interact because they can affect the brain in some of the same ways. Combining substances that act similarly intensifies the drugs’ effects, side effects, and potential risks.
Some people may notice that mixing alcohol and mushrooms can lessenTrusted Source the effect of each drug. However, it may also make it more difficult to think clearly.
Shrooms are mushrooms that contain psilocybin, a natural hallucinogenic and psychoactive compound. They can cause hallucinations and an inability to tell the difference between fantasy and reality.
Although people usually use shrooms recreationally, they can have adverse effects. People may experience:
Nausea
Vomiting
Muscle weakness
Lack of coordination
Panic attacks
Psychotic-like episodes
Alcohol affectsTrusted Source the brain similarly to shrooms. Drinking too much alcohol can change a person’s mood and behavior, and it can cause people to have trouble with memory and motor control.
Although doctors generally advise against combining substances, there is limited research showing the effects of shrooms and alcohol. This means most of the effects of mixing them come from people’s reported use.
Combining alcohol and shrooms can cause unpredictable results, but experts consider it a high-risk combination. It can cause headaches, panic attacks, and nausea. Drinking alcohol while taking shrooms can also increase a person’s risk of a “bad trip,” which can include hallucinations and frightening emotions.
Some people report drinking alcohol to lower the effect of shrooms and feel less high. While they may decreaseTrusted Source the effects of alcohol, there is limited research supporting this, and the effects can be unpredictable.
It is also unclear how much alcohol is safe in combination with shrooms. Overall, doctors do not recommendTrusted Source consuming alcohol while using other drugs.
Experts also adviseTrusted Source avoiding polysubstance use, which means using more than one drug together or within a short time.
Interestingly, researchers suggest that psilocybin, the active drug in shrooms, may help people with alcohol addiction. An ongoing study is currently exploring, in a controlled setting, whether psilocybin can lower the number of heavy drinking days among people living with alcohol addiction.
How shrooms work:
The psilocybin in mushrooms may have mind-altering effects, and reality can appear distorted. Other effectsTrusted Source of mushrooms include:
Delusions
Emotional swings
Feelings of detachment from people, objects, and surroundings
Psilocybin causes hallucinations because it acts on serotonin receptors in the brain and other parts of the body. Serotonin and psilocybin can both bind to serotonin receptors, so when psilocybin is in the body, it competes with serotonin to bind to them.
These receptors are responsible for controlling our emotions and moods. They also control behavior, learning memory, appetite, and other processes.
Source: Medical News Today