You get speedball by mixing illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Usually, speedballing comprises of injection of both the substances involves both substances directly into the bloodstream. They can also be consumed nasally. It has been reported that individuals experience a much more intense high with a speedball.
We must know how hazardous heroin and cocaine are individually to understand the real nature of speedball. Heroin is derived from morphine. It is one of the most common illicit opioids. It slows down breathing considerably, and it can also lead to respiratory failure. The effects are further accelerated when combined with another depressant, such as alcohol.
Cocaine, on the other hand, is a stimulant that has opposite effects. It pumps up the heart rate and energy and accelerates the breathing rate too. Because of this, there has been a misconception that heroin and cocaine can be used together because of their complementary nature canceling out their effects.
However, the combination of both drugs can severely intensify their effects and harm the body adversely.
Side Effects of Speedball
Let us now look at the effects of speedball on our body:
- Dizziness – Speed balling divorces the consumer from reality, and he/she may find it extremely difficult to get a hold on him/herself and perform daily activities with ease.
- Blurred vision – It can also cause blurry vision. In some cases, even vision impairment is reported.
- Tiredness – The consumer might feel disinterested in performing any task, and intense anxiety takes over, making it difficult for the person to involve in any action whatsoever.
- Paranoia – Speed balling has been associated with paranoia. It develops a strong mistrust in the person’s mind leaving him facing problems that do not even exist.
- Poor control over movements – The person loses firm control over the movements. Especially hands and legs, in most cases, are not in sync when walking. Also, it numbs down the reflexes considerably.
- Incoherence – There is no coherence in the person’s thoughts, and he loses discipline and a sense of direction in his life.
However, when done intensely over a more extended time, it can have a lot more dangerous and long-term effects on our body, which in some cases are irreversible.
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Aneurysm
- Respiratory failure
The Dangerous Factors of Speed balling That Affects the User’s Health
There are a lot of factors that reinforce the combinational heroin and cocaine effects on the body. We must understand the inconsistency of the impact because the same person can consume the same number of drugs on various occasions and experience varied effects on each event. So, there are a few constant factors that decide the impact of the drugs on the user. They are:
- The prescription: The most crucial factor is the purity of the drug. There are lots of medications outside with other impure chemicals added to them. Along with this, the frequency with which the drugs are taken and with what are they consumed matters a lot in deciding its overall effect on the body. That is why different users are affected differently.
- The Set-up: Where the drugs are consumed and with whom are of great importance as well.
- The individual characteristic: The main reason why the drug affects everyone differently is because of the physiological structure of each person varies to a great extent. Their mood, personality, mental health, medical history, and individual biology decide completely how the body will be receptive to the drugs.
Speed balling Overdose Risk
Speed balling accelerates the risk of overdose. Most of the drug abusers are not aware of the presence of fentanyl in drugs. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more intense than heroin. Because of this, there has been a significant increase in overdose-related deaths.
As Speed balling works in a combination of 2 of the most lethal drugs, we must understand that the risk of overdose is doubled as well.
As per the statistics in 2015, 63% of the cocaine-related overdose deaths consisted of an additional opioid, heroin. This shows how lethal this drug combination is.
In recent times some of the most renowned celebrities succumbed to the Speed balling overdose-death. They include John Belushi, Chris Farley, River Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, UK artist Sebastian Horsley, and Major League Baseball player Eric Snow.
As we have seen the obvious terrifying effects Speed balling has not only on our physical but mental health as well, we must not indulge in it. The main reason behind this is that the recovery process from this drug is excruciatingly painful. Even the detoxing from the drug effects can be extremely painful if not done without medical inspection and care. Hence, we must always choose life over these dangerous drugs.