What Is Cross-Faded? Dangers Of Being Drunk And High

Alcohol and marijuana are two of the most commonly abused substances in the United States. According to Pew Research Center, in the wake of the state-based legalization movement, more than half of American adults (50.3%) now say they have used cannabis in some form, while 84.1% say they have used alcohol. 

Each of these substances has the potential to be addictive, and each can be harmful in its own way if abused. However, if alcohol and cannabis are used together, especially in higher doses, they can trigger severe mental and physical symptoms known as combined intoxication or, informally, cross-fading.

While some people choose to become cross-faded intentionally in order to change or enhance the experience of their substance use, others encounter these complex symptoms by accident, potentially putting them at serious personal risk. 

What Happens When Someone Is Cross-Faded?

Both alcohol and cannabis are known for causing mental and physical impairment, though they do so using different mechanisms. If both substances are taken together, this impairment may be increased and prolonged, often to an extremely unpleasant or distressing degree.

When alcohol enters the body, it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and flows freely to the brain and other organs. It is thought to interact with the brain’s dopamine system, especially when consumed quickly. This produces an initial pleasurable buzz and reduced inhibitions, before taking on a longer-lasting role as a sedative and depressant. 

Cannabis, in contrast, contains a vast variety of organic cannabinoid molecules able to interact with endocannabinoid receptors in the body. This is especially true of the compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which mimics the neurotransmitter anandamide and, when ingested by smoking or through edibles, influences numerous areas of the brain responsible for mood, movement, coordination, thinking, learning/memory, judgment, and pleasure. 

Both of these substances interfere with normal brain function in different ways, with effects that may be much greater in combination than either substance would cause on its own. Moreover, studies have demonstrated that alcohol consumption can intensify the effects of THC by greatly increasing the amount of THC absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Cross-Faded Symptoms

While each person’s experience is unique, being cross-faded is often described very negatively, with many people citing some initial pleasure followed by intense nausea, disorientation (“the spins”), difficulty moving, and passing out. Hangovers may also be more intense and emotional.

Potential short-term symptoms of being cross-faded are known to include:

• initial feelings of pleasure or euphoria that may peak after around 90 minutes
• altered sensory perception
• loss of inhibition
• increased social drive
• slurred speech
• shortness of breath
• dizziness
• disorientation
• chills
• mood swings that may include anxiety, depression, and panic attacks
• increasing problems with movement, coordination, and reaction time
• reduced ability to focus, make decisions, and remember

Being cross-faded also may involve more severe symptoms, including:

• dramatic changes in heart function, blood pressure, and body temperature
• psychosis (paranoia, delusions, or hallucinations)
• problems speaking and interacting with the outside world
• loss of muscle control
• loss of consciousness
• nausea, vomiting, and dehydration
• blackous (amnesia) 

Long-Term Risks Of Alcohol And Cannabis Abuse

Evidence suggests that abusing both alcohol and cannabis, especially in relatively low initial doses, may increase the reinforcing properties of both substances. In other words, it can make both cannabis and alcohol more addictive than they might be alone.

Despite being a legal substance, alcohol is often named as the single deadliest drug of abuse in the world, with alcohol use and abuse responsible for over 178,000 deaths in the United States alone in 2021, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Long-term abuse of alcohol is associated with:

• development of alcohol use disorder (AUD)
• increased risk of accidental injury or death
• high blood pressure
• heart attacks
• strokes
• pancreatitis
• liver disease/cirrhosis
• cancer
• anxiety and depression
• sexual and reproductive dysfunctions
• dementia
• other cognitive and memory issues

Cannabis abuse, while generally less deadly than alcohol abuse, is also associated with numerous long-term health risks including:

• cannabis use disorder (cannabis addiction) 
• hyperemesis syndrome
• problems with cognitive function (especially with early use)
• problems with coordination and movement
• anxiety
• suicidal thoughts or activity
• psychotic symptoms

Using these two substances together also increases the risk that a person will be open to experimentation with other dangerous and addictive substances, like heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, or methamphetamine. 

Other Dangers Of Cross-Fading

When a person is under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis, it can negatively impact their sense of inhibition, their ability to communicate, their awareness of their surroundings, and their ability to move and navigate the outside world. This can greatly increase the risk of a person engaging in high-risk sexual behavior, experiencing an accident, or being victimized by those around them. 

There are also serious risks associated with vomiting, dehydration, and alcohol intoxication (alcohol poisoning), all of which can be deadly in certain situations in the absence of medical care. 

Why Do People Mix Substances?

Any form of substance abuse has the potential to be harmful, especially when someone takes very high doses, misuses a substance frequently over a long period of time, or tries to compound a substance’s effects by mixing it with another substance with either similar or contrasting effects. The latter is called polysubstance abuse, which comes with increased health risks, such as with combined THC and alcohol use.

Other examples of polysubstance abuse include:

• use of benzodiazepines and opioids, both of which depress the central nervous system (CNS) 
• use of alcohol and cocaine, which produces cocaethylene, a cocaine metabolite that increases the risk of heart damage and death
• use of drugs that depress the CNS (especially opioids) and CNS stimulants (especially amphetamines)

People may mix these and other drugs of abuse in different ways in an effort either to enhance the overall effect of one or both substances or to use one substance’s effects against the unwanted side effects of the other. Others mix substances haphazardly, simply not understanding the potential risks involved. 

Still others ingest mixed drugs unknowingly, as illicit drug supplies are routinely laced with various substances ranging from caffeine to fentanyl. 

What Are The Dangers Of Mixing Other Substances?

Whether two substances of abuse have similar effects or contrasting effects, mixing drugs can be extremely dangerous, often producing dangerous, complex, and challenging symptoms. Here are some of the most notorious drug combinations.

Speedballs

A speedball is a combination of an “upper” (a CNS stimulant, like cocaine or methamphetamine) with a “downer” (a drug that depresses the CNS, which is often some form of opioid like codeine, oxycodone, heroin, or fentanyl).

Many people wrongly believe that these two classes of drugs are safe to use together, with each balancing or canceling out the unwanted effects of the other. However, the truth is that using drugs with opposite effects puts a tremendous amount of stress on the body, with potentially devastating results. In fact, speedballs are notoriously deadly, claiming the lives of many people in recent years, including numerous celebrities and public figures. 

Alcohol And Cocaine

Alcohol and cocaine are two very different substances that react inside the body to create a new compound known as cocaethylene. This is a potent, extremely toxic drug in its own right that can swiftly and severely damage the cardiovascular system, greatly increasing a person’s risk of long-term health problems and short-term medical crises, including sudden death. 

Benzodiazepines And Opioids

“Benzos,” including alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), and clonazepam (Klonopin), are powerful CNS depressants used to relieve anxiety and muscle tension for short periods of time. Opioids like morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone are painkillers that also depress the CNS.

Although each of these classes of drug have their own mechanism of action, they are both powerful “downers” that, if taken together, increase the risk that a person will experience severe respiratory depression. Without prompt medical attention, including administration of the opioid antagonist medication naloxone (brand name, Narcan), respiratory depression may be fatal. 

Getting Help For Addiction

The longer a person misuses drugs or alcohol, the more likely they are to take higher and higher doses or mix substances in order to achieve the same initial effects or enhance their effects. If you or someone you love routinely uses both alcohol and cannabis, or is involved in some other form of polydrug abuse, it may be a sign of a serious health issue that requires professional care and support.

Alcohol and drug addiction treatment programs are available nationwide in many different formats, allowing you to pick a treatment program that can meet your unique needs and help you build a successful, long-lasting recovery your own way. 

At Ark Behavioral Health, we recognize that each and every client in our programs is an individual with their own needs, goals, and preferences. That’s why our addiction recovery network offers personalized care and a variety of evidence-based treatment options, including dual diagnosis treatment for people experiencing addiction alongside another mental health disorder, like clinical depression, an anxiety disorder, PTSD, or schizophrenia. 

To learn more about Ark Behavioral Health, our treatment centers, and our individualized recovery programs, please reach out today.