Alcohol

Methadone and alcohol boost each other's effect. So if you overdo either or both, you are much more likely to overdose. And as they both knock you out and can make you throw up you don't have to take a lethal dose to end up choking to death on your vomit while too sedated to wake up.

If you find that methadone doesn't seem to be enough for you, talk to your doctor or drug worker about it rather than drinking more alcohol. The effects of alcohol are not altogether different from methadone and sometimes when people feel like they need more drugs they use alcohol.

The trouble is that dependent or dangerous levels of drinking can creep up (especially during and after a detox) and can do you more harm than opiates.

If this could be a problem you might find it useful to discuss your drinking with your doctor or drug worker and keep a record of how many units you are drinking and compare every few weeks.