drug and alcohol use

[ihavegoodreasonsforaskingthis]

I have just been told that someone who is a heavy drug user is almost certainly going to be drinking (or drinking heavily?) too. This goes against my personal experience, as I have known drug users (dope speed coke) who did not drink alcohol at all all or scarcely, and those who combined the two frequently, and those who abused alcohol but never touched drugs. Does anyone know the answer to this? I don't personally know any crack or heroin users, would that make a difference?

And would the correct situation show up clearly in blood tests - ie can you identify use of specific drugs from blood tests, and would this be separately from heightened enzymes associated with alcohol, so it would be possible to know for sure whether someone was drinking heavily as well as taking drugs and also what drugs?

Thank you very much

In my experience most people that take drugs also drink to excess too, especially cokeheads. Apart from maybe the odd stoner.

I’m not sure about heroin or crack but I’d imagine if you’d sank to that low you’d be up for anything to get a buzz.

Some people will only stick to certain drugs. But others will consume anything they can - any type of drug, accompanied by drink, some will drink when they can’t score etc. It’s not really a hard and fast rule for addicts.

I’m not sure about the blood test question but I know some types of drugs can metabolise quickly so you need to test in a specific window to have them show up.

Some do, some don't.

Drug testing is usually carried out via urine tests. People on alcohol treatment orders are usually tested via breath testing.

Some drugs stay in the system longer than others.

The original rave generation (late 80’s/early 90’s) didn’t tend to drink at all when taking drugs. No more recent anecdotal experience to add though. Why are you asking?

It completely depends on someone’s circumstances and the reasons why they may be using drugs and/or alcohol. Polysubstance use can often be a sign of a chaotic lifestyle. It can also be due to dual diagnosis (substance misuse alongside mental health issues).
The testing for drug and alcohol are different so there’s no chance of getting the results confused