Lorazepam with beer: the anxiety drug of choice for self-prescribers

The recipe for the perfect 'chill-out': lorazepam, beer and tobacco

Self-medicating with anti-anxiety drugs combined with alcohol has become so normalized that it now has a name of its own: the 'fixed-discontinuous kit'. In informal conversations, users describe the ideal dose with precision – "half a beer, half a lorazepam and a Ducados" – to reach a state of controlled "chilling out". What some see as a harmless pastime is, to others, a ticking time bomb.

The real risks of the mix

Benzodiazepines such as lorazepam are central nervous system depressants. Alcohol amplifies their effects, multiplying the risk of excessive sedation, respiratory depression and dependence. The medical literature is unequivocal: there is no safe level of consumption for this combination. Yet the culture of "knowing how to handle it" – as some enthusiasts claim – downplays the danger.

A spreading pattern

The exchange of experiences reveals that access to these drugs is easy: prescriptions from relatives, leftovers from previous treatments, or buying without a prescription at pharmacies in other countries. The lack of controls and the trivialization of use worry specialists, who are seeing a growing number of poisonings in emergency rooms.

The future of 'chilling out'

As long as dispensing controls and health education are not tightened, this cocktail will remain popular among those seeking quick relief. But once the body starts to pay the price – and it will – the 'chill-out' will go out of fashion. The question is how many will fall before then.