Public health officials are urging anyone taking illegal drugs to have a test dose before consuming and make sure use with someone who can call an ambulance quickly.
In a pre-Christmas message, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is also advising both men and women to drink no more than five or six pints, or the equivalent, spread evenly across the week.
Most fatal overdoses involve the use of more than one type of drug, and any combination of prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, illicit drugs or alcohol can be dangerous, the PHA said.
The agency does recommend not taking any drugs unless prescribed by a medical professional but advises extreme caution for those taking them.
This includes taking a test, a smaller dose to start, avoid more than one substance, never use alone and if injecting do not share. Clean equipment is available at Needle and Syringe Exchange Services.
Stephanie Hanlon, the PHA’s lead person on drugs and alcohol, said the agency knows people choose to use alcohol and other drugs as part of their celebrations over Christmas.
“We are urging people to stay safe and avoid taking risks with any substances,” Ms Hanlon said.
“Mixing any drugs increases the risk of serious harm and can have a negative impact on you and those around you.
“Combining different types of drugs is unpredictable, can increase the toxicity of already potentially harmful substances, and increases the risk of serious harm occurring.”
She added: “It’s easy to forget that alcohol itself is a powerful drug and mixing any drugs, including prescription medications and alcohol, can be unpredictable and unsafe.
“Anyone who uses drugs should bear in mind that products that look the same as each other may not be the same in terms of their contents. A pill or powder that looks like one taken previously may in fact have entirely different substances in it.
“The same is true of prescription drugs obtained illegally. This means that you can’t be sure of what effect it will have, plus new drugs are being identified all the time so you can never really know what you are taking.”
