Alcohol by itself is a dangerous drug. It can damage a fetus and harm every organ in your body. Alcohol is addicting and alcohol abuse can lead to cancer, stroke, heart disease and liver failure. Stimulants used for weight loss also can be addicting and lead to a host of complications ranging from rapid heart rate to anxiety, paranoia and seizures. Together, the combination can be lethal.
Addiction
Drug abuse is a mental and physical disease, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Abuse of alcohol and legal and illegal drugs results in more than 100,000 American deaths a year. Child abuse and neglect are common in families where parents are addicts and drug and alcohol exposure in the womb can lead to deformities and slow intellectual development. Adolescents who abuse alcohol and diet pills that often contain amphetamines typically do poorly in school and increase their risk of infectious diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
Mixing
Prescription diet pills can interact negatively with alcohol. For example, phentermine is a commonly prescribed diet pill for the obese with effects similar to amphetamines. It suppresses your appetite by interfering with your central nervous system activities. Phentermine often impairs your reaction time and thinking processes. Drinking alcohol while taking the drug can increase those side effects.
Safety
Drunk driving is a major social concern and is a major contributor to auto fatalities and accidents. Illegal and prescription drugs lead to just as many traffic problems, according to the Safety Center. The law does not recognize a difference between illegal drug and prescriptions; it's what the drugs do to you that matters. While alcohol impairs judgment and reduces your reflexes, drugs such as diet pills also can cause safety concerns, according to the Safety Center. The diet pills may initially make you feel more alert, but as they wear off, you can become dizzy and nervous. Concentration levels fall as well. Diet pills also can cause blurred vision.
Decision-making
Diet pills usually contain large amounts of caffeine, similar to energy drinks. When you combine them with alcohol, you may feel as if you are more in control of your faculties than you actually are. According to Community Counseling Services, the combination can lead to poor decision-making and irrational risk-taking based on how you perceive your abilities. While you may be more stimulated when taking the caffeine-laden diet pills or energy drinks, the alcohol continues to impair your judgment and decrease your physical and mental abilities. The caffeine in diet pills does not counter the effects of the alcohol in your body. Both substances actually affect different parts of your brain.
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