Can you take CBD while drinking alcohol?
Many things mixed with alcohol may lead to situations that are undesirable. Mild side effects in the best-case scenario and dangerous conditions in the worst. Medications, energy drinks, and mood stabilizers are all substances that don’t go well with alcoholic beverages.
It’s reasonable to wonder if CBD can also be categorized as unsuitable for mixing. After all, those who supplement with CBD are often everyday users. This means that at some point, they will likely have to face the circumstances when the alcohol is being served. And what then?
As you may already know, CBD is still undergoing intense research. We learn more and more about its effects, potential benefits, and risks. We may not have all the answers just yet, but here’s what we do know.
Are CBD and Alcohol a dangerous combination?
Unfortunately, there are no conclusive answers whether the pair can be safely mixed. On the other hand, there is no data that would suggest the mixing of two substances may be dangerous or have some substantial negative effects.
In one research paper that was done on this subject, scientists looked into the effects of administering the participants 200 mg of CBD with 1 gram of alcohol for every 2.2 pounds of body weight.
What we’ve learned was that:
“(…) alcohol and alcohol plus CBD, but not CBD alone, produced significant impairments of motor and psychomotor performances, overestimations of time production and subjective responses indicating an accurate self-perception of their intoxication and deficits”.
This means that CBD with alcohol may lead to impaired motor skills and altered perception of time. These effects were not observed in individuals taking only CBD.
Additionally, what’s even more interesting is that mixing such amounts of CBD and alcohol resulted in significantly lower blood alcohol concentration compared to alcohol given alone. However, there weren’t any significant differences between the pharmacological effects of both states.
This research suggests that mixing CBD and alcohol has some effects on people, but these effects are rather similar to the results one can experience after indulging in alcohol consumption either way.
It’s also crucial to point out that the dosages of CBD administered to the participants of the research were much higher than the dosages that regular people typically administer outside of research.
Overall, this study is considered outdated today, but it might be worth considering in our deliberations. We don’t have much research on this topic. This is why it’s always advisable to proceed with caution when mixing alcohol and CBD.
What Are the Effects of Mixing CBD with Alcohol?
The most common information one can find about this topic is that it is thought that CBD and alcohol amplify their effects mutually. It makes sense when we compare what kind of effects both substances offer.
CBD has many potential benefits. One of the most significant being stress reduction. CBD oil is often used to help individuals with anxiety, giving them the sensation of tranquility while promoting relaxation.
A similar thing can be said about drinking alcohol. This substance oftentimes decreases stress levels. It’s common for alcohol to lead to lower inhibitions. It’s a rather double-edged sword, though, as drinking alcohol can lead to many negative effects. This includes losing control over the behaviors. This doesn’t apply to CBD specifics.
Mixing both can result in
- increased sleepiness
- sedation
- impaired motor skills
- vomiting
Can CBD Minimize the Negative Effects of Drinking Alcohol?
CBD oil is known for its beneficial properties. It addresses inflammation and chronic diseases, stress, and pain, but can it be helpful in minimizing the effects of drinking alcohol? Let’s take a closer look!
CBD as a remedy for hangovers
Hangover symptoms are one of the best reasons drinking in moderation is so important. Pounding headache, light sensitivity, dehydration, vomiting, and dizziness are amongst the most common side effects of drinking alcohol.
We don’t have concrete evidence that CBD is effective in addressing hangovers, but it doesn’t mean the compound can’t help mitigate some of the symptoms.
For example, we know that taking CBD can help with vomiting and nausea. Many take CBD to deal with pain, including chronic pain, so administering it to mitigate hangover headaches can also be helpful.
Many also struggle with hangover anxiety, so supplementing with CBD as party aftercare can help immensely with addressing feelings of restlessness.
It’s crucial to state that we don’t have any undisputable data that would suggest CBD is a remedy for hangover symptoms. Every organism will react differently after taking CBD, so it’s not one fits all type of solution.
Antidote for Alcohol-Induced Damage
CBD is no antidote, especially in curing an alcohol use disorder and the damages it can cause. But some studies point to the possibility of CBD being able to protect against cell damage, which is often the side effect of excessive alcohol consumption.
In a study from 2014 published in the Journal Free Radical Biology, which was done on mice, researchers were able to show that injecting the animals with the CBD compound helped them with mitigating alcohol-induced liver steatosis. CBD was valuable in the production of new cells and tissue regeneration.
Another study, this time done on rats, showed that CBD can help reduce the brain-cell damage caused by excessive drinking by up to 49%!
Of course, we still need to confirm this data in human trials, and we’re still far from those. But it’s hard not to see the potential of CBD in helping those affected by alcohol addiction, etc.
The Matter of Blood Alcohol Levels
We’ve already talked about the research from the 1970s. The research in which it was stated that CBD might reduce blood alcohol concentration. Although it’s an interesting finding, the research itself is not reliable enough to confirm this. We still need more research to study if that is the case and what might be the real implications of that.
In other words, if someone is saying that thanks to CBD you won’t get as drunk as you would have without it, they are only speculating.
CBD for Alcohol Withdrawals
When talking about CBD and alcohol, it makes sense to talk about treating alcohol addiction or supporting the recovery with CBD oil or other CBD specifics. Is that something worth considering?
We already know that CBD can reduce liver toxicity, support cell regeneration, and reduce anxiety, all of which are great for recovery from alcohol abuse. But alcohol withdrawals are very serious and taxing for the body, which is why they should be treated with tried and tested methods.
One can support themselves with CBD supplementation, but it should be done under a doctor’s supervision.
Alcohol dependence, alcohol cravings, binge drinking – all these should be addressed with the help of a specialist, who may or may not suggest or agree to the inclusion of CBD in the therapy.
Summary
Most people who mix CBD and alcohol don’t experience many additional adverse health effects, which is why it’s probably safe in most cases to mix them. But it’s very important to take into account that everybody can react differently to CBD and alcohol, so caution is always advised.
You can learn more about the potential benefits of using CBD oil from our article covering this topic. You can also find a big variety of CBD products from Discount Pharms that may enrich your journey towards an anxiety-free, healthy life.
