Ambien, or zolpidem, is a commonly prescribed medicine for sleep disorders, like insomnia. While it can be effective, the potential for abuse and other dangers of Ambien can be underestimated. It is critical to learn more about Ambien side effects, misuse dangers, and why combining it with alcohol is especially dangerous.1 If you are misusing Ambien or mixing alcohol with prescription sleep aids, we can help. Our Atlanta-based drug and alcohol rehab can offer you the support you need to quit Ambien and find long-term recovery.
What Is Ambien?
If you have trouble falling asleep, your doctor may prescribe Ambien, a non-benzodiazepine receptor modulator. Ambien, also known by its trade name zolpidem, is approved for the short-term treatment of sleep disorders, like insomnia, and it is classified as a Schedule IV drug, meaning it has the potential for misuse and addiction. Ambien has mild muscle-relaxant properties, working on the GABA receptors in the brain, producing sedative-like side effects that help with sleep onset and maintenance.2
Common Side Effects of Ambien
Like most prescription medicines, you may experience side effects and Ambien interactions, especially when taken with other substances. The most common Ambien side effects reported by users include drowsiness, fatigue, dizziness, unsteady balance, confusion, memory problems, light-headedness, and headache.1
Some people may experience sleep-related symptoms or unconscious behaviors, such as sleepwalking or sleep-driving. The side effects like slowed breathing may intensify when mixing Ambien with alcohol or other substances.1
Can You Mix Alcohol and Ambien?
No. Alcohol and Ambien should never be mixed because both have central nervous system (CNS) depressant effects. This increases your chances of adverse consequences, including alcohol or Ambien overdose.1
What Happens When You Mix Ambien and Alcohol?
Both Ambien and alcohol sedate the CNS, and when combined, the effects are increased. For example, alcohol use affects the CNS by slowing down brain activity responsible for thinking, concentrating, movements, mood, and judgment.3
Ambien also slows CNS activity, causing drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, impaired motor control, and slowed breathing. When you mix Ambien and alcohol, the effects are additive, significantly increasing these symptoms and your risk for life-threatening consequences, like overdose.1
Ambien Overdose: Signs and Symptoms
If you take too much Ambien, it can cause you to have extreme drowsiness, lose consciousness, go into a coma, experience cardiovascular and respiratory depression, and, in some cases, have a fatal outcome. Mixing Ambien and alcohol increases these symptoms.1
Alcohol overdose may also occur. Too much alcohol in the brain can impair its ability to perform the basic functions to keep you alive. Symptoms include impaired control of breathing, heart rate, and body temperature. When this happens, you may experience unconsciousness, uncontrollable vomiting, seizures, clammy skin, dulled motor skills and responses, slow or no heartbeat, and slow or no breathing.4
If you or someone you know overdoses on Ambien or an alcohol and Ambien mixture, call 911 immediately. Stay on the line with the operator, and stay with the person until help arrives.
Is Ambien Addictive?
Yes, Ambien can be addictive. FDA labeling notes zolpidem (Ambien) has abuse potential, and in studies of former drug users, high doses produced effects similar to benzodiazepines. If you are taking Ambien, you must be carefully monitored to avoid Ambien abuse or addiction.1 If you are taking it illicitly, you may want to check with a professional who can assess whether you are addicted to the substance.
Ambien may be either physically dependent or psychologically dependent, or both. Physical dependence means your body has become so used to having Ambien in its system that it thinks it needs the drug to function. If you stop taking it, you will experience withdrawal symptoms.5
Being psychologically dependent on Ambien means having unpleasant emotional effects, as well as motivational effects during withdrawal. Examples include having cravings, depression during withdrawal, and dysphoria. When using the drug, you have feelings of satisfaction and a strong desire to continue using it. Your reason may be to continue the pleasurable effects or to avoid the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms.6
Ambien Tolerance, Dependence, & Withdrawal Symptoms
If you use Ambien for an extended period of time, you may develop a tolerance to the drug. Tolerance occurs because taking this type of drug causes changes that lead to a reduction of one or more of the drug’s effects. It can happen to both desired and undesired effects.1
If you increase the doses to achieve desired effects, or continue using Ambien long-term, you may be at an increased risk of dependence, misuse, or addiction. If you are dependent or addicted and stop taking Ambien suddenly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms.1
Withdrawal symptoms associated with Ambien discontinuation may include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, stomach and muscle cramps, and depression. The withdrawal symptoms vary based on the dose and the length of time you have been using Ambien, as well as physical and psychological factors unique to your health.1
Safer Alternative for Sleep Support
You don’t have to rely only on Ambien or other prescribed medications to help you sleep. You may consider complementary and integrative practices as treatments used alongside evidence-based care. Other methods to promote sleep include meditation, relaxation techniques, melatonin, music therapy, herbal supplements, massage, or combinations thereof.7
Working with a licensed mental health professional can also help, especially if you have co-occurring disorders that may contribute to the problem. They can use techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which can help you make lifestyle changes and establish a sleep routine to get the rest you need.8
Components of CBT-I may include sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control therapy, sleep hygiene, and cognitive therapy. Your therapist may also incorporate and consider relapse prevention strategies, multicultural considerations, and adjuvants to traditional interventions.8
Ambien Addiction Treatment in Atlanta
Do you struggle with Ambien misuse and have been struggling to quit? You are not alone. Many people face these same issues, and at Empowered Recovery Center, we have various rehab programs to help you get back on track and resolve issues like sleep disorders, dependence, and addiction. We can address your unique needs with an individualized treatment plan to help you work toward long term recovery.
The first step is to contact our rehab admissions coordinators, who can answer any questions you may have about Ambien or alcohol addiction treatment. They can also help you figure out the cost of rehab, with or without using insurance to pay for treatment. Contact us today to learn more, verify your insurance benefits online, and get started with treatment.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022). Zolpidem. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2022/019908s40s044s047lbl.pdf.
- Bouchette D, Akhondi H, Patel P, et al. Zolpidem. [Updated 2024 Feb 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK442008/. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK442008/.
- MedlinePlus. (2024). Alcohol. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://medlineplus.gov/alcohol.html.
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2025). Health Topics: Alcohol Overdose. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/health-topics-alcohol-overdose.
- Szalavitz, M., Rigg, K. K., & Wakeman, S. E. (2021). Drug dependence is not addiction, and it matters. Annals of medicine, 53(1), 1989–1992. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2021.1995623. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8583742/.
- Science Direct. (2025). Psychological Dependence. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/psychological-dependence.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2024). Sleep Disorders and Complementary Approaches. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/sleep-disorders-and-complementary-health-approaches.
- Walker, J., Muench, A., Perlis, M. L., & Vargas, I. (2022). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): A Primer. Clinical psychology and special education, 11(2), 123–137. https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2022110208. Retrieved on 11/26/2025 from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10002474/.
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