While speedballing has been around for quite some time, the trend has been gaining popularity again in recent years. It’s effects are being seen everywhere, from big cities to small towns. Celebrity deaths from speedballing in the past include John Belushi, Chris Farley, and River Phoenix. Hopefully bringing awareness to this extremely dangerous trend will prevent any more.
‘Speedballing’ is the use of cocaine and heroin together. Historically taken in through the same syringe or two syringes simultaneously (one for each arm); in recent years users have been snorting a combination of the two drugs as well.
What makes this mixture so appealing is the blend of a stimulant and a depressant. Cocaine, as the stimulant, provides an intense rush speeding up the heart rate. Then heroin, the depressant, steps in and slows the heart providing a calm, euphoric feeling. In the mind of a drug user, it’s the perfect combination; cocaine delivers the energy that is lost when using heroin alone while heroin calms the crash after a short-lived cocaine high. Users have described a speedballing high as “eclectic and unique”.
Among the many obvious dangers of speedballing, one stands out: the escalated risk of an overdose. Because the high of a stimulant and low of a depressant overlap, the user may have trouble feeling the body’s warning signs as they approach lethal amounts of either drug. Also concerning: the combined effects of a stimulant and a depressant over time. These radically different drugs work in opposite ways in the body, creating damage to the internal organs that cannot be sustained over long periods of time.
These dangers are formidable to say the least, and this is not even considering the way they are ingested. Many times when a drug with a short high is used, the more needles are needed to sustain the high. This increases the risk of needle sharing and the possible spreading of HIV and HCV.
Speedballing can be treated with a specialized inpatient or outpatient program with a high concentration on relapse prevention. Learn more about these programs here.