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Lorazepam And Alcohol: Why Combining Them Is Dangerous
Key Points
- Lorazepam and alcohol are central nervous system (CNS) depressants that slow the activity of the brain and body.
- Combining lorazepam and alcohol causes extreme drowsiness, impaired coordination, confusion, memory loss, slowed breathing, coma, and death.
- There is no set safe time frame for combining lorazepam and alcohol since this is determined by dose, time of last dose, individual health, tolerance to lorazepam, and other factors.
- Severe warning signs requiring emergency medical attention include slow breathing, blue lips or fingers, vomiting while sedated, confusion, or not being able to wake up.
If you already take lorazepam (Ativan), you may wonder whether having a drink is actually a problem.
Maybe you take lorazepam regularly and want to know if alcohol is safe, or perhaps you’ve already combined them on more than one occasion and are curious about any negative consequences. Whatever the reason, it is valuable information to have, and the effects may be more complex than they initially seem.
Before combining lorazepam and alcohol, it’s important to understand how each substance affects the body and why taking them together can change those effects. This article explains what can happen when you mix Ativan and alcohol, the risks to be aware of, and what to do if you’ve already taken both.
What Is Lorazepam?
Lorazepam is a prescription benzodiazepine medication, more commonly known by its brand name, Ativan. It is commonly prescribed for treating anxiety and panic attacks, insomnia, seizures, and sometimes for alcohol withdrawal, and sedation prior to surgery or other medical procedures.[1]
Benzodiazepines like lorazepam are central nervous system depressants that enhance the action of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a natural relaxing chemical in the brain. While this action is what relieves anxiety symptoms, it also produces drowsiness, dizziness, slower response times, confusion, and impaired motor skills.
What Happens When You Combine Lorazepam and Alcohol?
Alcohol is another central nervous system depressant. If both alcohol and lorazepam are present in the body together, they intensify each other’s sedative effects.
Combining lorazepam and alcohol can cause:
- Extreme drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Slurred speech
- Poor coordination
- Impaired judgment
- Confusion
- Memory loss and blackouts
- Nausea or vomiting
- Reduced blood pressure and heart rate
- Slowed breathing
- Loss of consciousness
- Overdose that can lead to coma and death without medical assistance
Guidelines specifically warn against combining alcohol with benzodiazepines (including lorazepam), noting that it increases the risk of drowsiness, dizziness, and overdose.[2]
This interaction will happen no matter what benzodiazepine you take and is not exclusive to Ativan. These risks also increase with higher doses of medication, heavy drinking, combining with other substances, or with pre-existing health conditions that affect breathing and the liver.
How Do Lorazepam and Alcohol Slow Breathing?
Alcohol and lorazepam both slow down activity in the central nervous system, including the systems involved in maintaining normal breathing. This is what produces their sedating effects and impaired coordination. However, with high doses or when combined, their effects compound on each other. This slows down the nervous system to the point where the brain cannot properly signal the diaphragm and other muscles involved in breathing, which results in slow and very shallow breathing or breathing that stops altogether.[3]
Slowed breathing (medically known as respiratory depression) is extremely dangerous when it is too slow or shallow to adequately remove carbon dioxide and deliver oxygen to the brain.
This can cause someone to become so heavily sedated that they are difficult or impossible to wake. What may appear to be deep sleep can actually be dangerous respiratory depression.
The lorazepam labeling specifically warns that benzodiazepines produce increased CNS-depressant effects when combined with other depressants, including alcohol.[4]
The risk can increase further when lorazepam and alcohol are combined with opioids, other sedatives, sleep medications, muscle relaxants, sedating antihistamines, or other substances.[5]
How Long After Taking Lorazepam Can You Drink Alcohol?
There is no single waiting period that can be considered safe for everyone. Lorazepam has an average half-life of about 12 hours, but the amount of time it remains active in the body varies person to person.[6]
Factors that can affect the risk of combining lorazepam and alcohol include:
- Lorazepam dose
- Frequency of use
- Whether lorazepam is taken regularly or occasionally
- Amount of alcohol consumed
- Age
- Liver function
- Overall health
- Other medications or substances
- Tolerance to lorazepam and alcohol
- Sleep apnea or other breathing problems
Because of these variables, do not use the 12-hour half-life as a basis for deciding when it is safe to drink. If you have taken lorazepam and are unsure whether you can safely drink, ask your prescribing physician or pharmacist.
Potential Side Effects from Lorazepam and Alcohol
Combining lorazepam and alcohol can impair alertness, coordination, judgment, and memory. Possible effects include:
- Excessive sleepiness
- Difficulty staying awake
- Difficulty walking
- Slurred speech
- Slow reaction times
- Memory problems
- Impaired judgment
- Confusion
- Nausea or vomiting
- Falls and other accidents
- Driving impairment
- Loss of consciousness
- Breathing problems
These effects can be particularly concerning in older adults and people with breathing problems or who take other depressants. NIAAA notes that alcohol can increase the sedative and motor-impairing effects of benzodiazepines and increase the risk of injuries.[7]
Emergency Warning Signs to Watch For
If someone has combined lorazepam and alcohol and develops severe symptoms, call 911 immediately.
Emergency warning signs include:
- Slow or shallow breathing
- Difficulty breathing
- Choking, gurgling, or unusual snoring sounds
- Pale, gray, or blue lips or fingers
- Extreme drowsiness
- Inability to stay awake
- Inability to wake up
- Severe confusion
- Loss of consciousness
- Vomiting while heavily sedated or unconscious
- Seizures
- Fainting
If opioids may also be involved, administer naloxone if available and call 911. Naloxone does not reverse the effects of lorazepam or alcohol, but it can reverse an opioid overdose when opioids are involved.
When Lorazepam or Alcohol Use Becomes a Problem
Regular lorazepam use can lead to physical dependence, and abruptly stopping after continued use can cause serious withdrawal symptoms, including seizures. Alcohol can also cause dependence and dangerous withdrawal when someone who drinks heavily stops suddenly.
It may be time to seek professional help if you:
- Regularly combine lorazepam and alcohol
- Take more lorazepam than prescribed
- Use lorazepam or alcohol to cope with anxiety or sleep
- Experience blackouts, withdrawal symptoms, falls, or other dangerous incidents
- Feel unable to stop using either substance
- Have experienced a suspected overdose or serious reaction
Treatment programs can provide support for substance use and co-occurring mental health concerns, including dependence on alcohol or benzodiazepines.
Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment for Lasting Recovery
If you are researching this topic because you find that you cannot stop your drinking even though you are taking Ativan or are frequently combining them to enhance their effects, then help is available.
SOBA New Jersey provides substance use and mental health treatment for adults with substance use disorders, plus treatment for the co-occurring mental health conditions that so often present with them.
If lorazepam, alcohol, or another substance has become difficult to manage, professional treatment can provide support for stabilization, recovery, and underlying mental health concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lorazepam and Alcohol
Alcohol should generally be avoided while taking lorazepam unless your healthcare provider specifically advises otherwise. Combining the two can increase sedation, impair coordination and judgment, and increase the risk of breathing problems and overdose.
Combining lorazepam and alcohol can cause excessive drowsiness, dizziness, impaired coordination, confusion, memory problems, vomiting, loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, coma, and death.
Yes. Ativan is just the brand name for lorazepam.
There is no universally safe waiting period. Lorazepam’s average half-life is about 12 hours, but the potential for interaction depends on factors such as the dose, frequency of use, timing, amount of alcohol consumed, other medications or substances, and individual health. Ask your prescribing physician or pharmacist for guidance specific to your situation.
Yes. Alcohol can intensify the CNS-depressant effects of lorazepam, increasing the risk of severe sedation, breathing problems, loss of consciousness, and death.
Call 911 if someone has slow or shallow breathing, difficulty breathing, blue or gray lips or fingers, severe confusion, loss of consciousness, inability to remain awake or wake up, or vomiting while heavily sedated or unconscious.
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[1] [4] [6] National Library of Medicine. (2025). Lorazepam: MedlinePlus drug information. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682053.html
[2] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). FDA requiring boxed warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-requiring-boxed-warning-updated-improve-safe-use-benzodiazepine-drug-class
[3] [5] [7] National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Harmful interactions: Mixing alcohol with medicines. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/harmful-interactions-mixing-alcohol-with-medicines