CBD has recently taken the world by storm for its medicinal values. To date, there are many products that are derived from CBD, from oils, ointments, and many more. Alcohol manufacturers are even jumping on the bandwagon by making CBD-infused shots. However, the notion about mixing CBD and Alcohol is that, when a medicine is prescribed, Doctors recommend avoiding alcohol when taking medications because it can disrupt it.
That’s why people have questioned the validity and safety of mixing CBD and Alcohol as you might not get the best out of the CBD when it is mixed with alcohol. Moreover, in this article, we’ll be talking about the effects of CBD and alcohol when you mix it.
What is CBD?
CBD or Cannabidiol is one of the hundreds of active compounds present in a marijuana plant just like THC. However, CBD doesn’t induce any psychoactive effects.
The most common way to use CBD is through CBD oils. CBD oils are made from extracted chemical materials from a cannabis plant with the use of a solvent such as butane, carrier oil, coconut oil, and hemp seed oil, to name a few.
In recent years, CBD has gained popularity and is readily available in a lot of forms. From capsules, sprays, tinctures, and even shots.
Also, there is promising research that suggests that CBD has the potential to treat various conditions such as pain management, stress, anxiety, and many more.
CBD and Alcohol: It has the potential to enhance each other’s effects
Alcohol is known for its ability to promote feelings of relaxation and minimizes inhibitions. The same goes for CBD; it can also give similar effects to our body. There is plenty of research suggesting that CBD is good for anxiety and improved overall sleep quality in people.
While there are no conclusive research, CBD and Alcohol may have the potential to amplify each other’s effects, effects like increased sleepiness and sedation.
For some, mixing CBD and alcohol together may intensify each other’s effects, effects such as mood-boosting and appetite. Unfortunately, there are very few studies conducted as to the effects when mixing CBD and Alcohol.
CBD may reduce the side effects of Alcohol
Though there’s much know effects when it comes to mixing weed and alcohol, there’s promising research showing how CBD may protect the user from alcohol’s side effects. Here are some of the few ways on how CBD may reduce the impact of alcohol’s side effects. However, this needs to be taken with a grain of salt as some of these studies were conducted on animals.
Mixing CBD and Alcohol may prevent Cell damage and Disease
We all know how excess alcohol abuse affects our bodies. It has the capability to destroy our cells and increases the risk of chronic and inflammation diseases such as liver disease, pancreatitis, and other types of cancer.
Several studies conducted on animals showed that CBD has the potential to minimize the damage to the cells caused by excessive alcohol consumption. The study showed that CBD gets applied to rats great decreased the brain-cell damage by up to 49% due to alcohol consumption
Another study conducted on rats wherein they were injected with CBD, and in turn, it helps the mice protect from fatty-liver disease by maximizing autophagy, it is a process that promotes that turnover of new cells and is responsible for tissue regeneration.
It’s still quite unclear on how these may work with humans. There are still significant studies needed, whether it has the potential to do it for humans as well.
Mixing CBD and Alcohol May Reduce Blood Alcohol Levels
BAC or blood alcohol concentration is a way to measure the levels of alcohol in your blood. This means that the higher you BAC means, the greater loss of motor controls, such as getting way too drunk.
Although there is also no significant research about the effects of CBD in our blood alcohol levels, one study conducted among 10 people found out that when those participants took 200mg of CBD combined with alcohol, they had significantly lower alcohol levels compared to when they took alcohol with a placebo.
The only negative thing about this study is it was conducted almost 50 years ago and to this day. In addition, there are also studies conducted on animals that there was no drop in alcohol levels when CBD was taken.
Therefore, just like with other findings, more research needs to be done to determine how CBD affects our blood alcohol levels. Until there is still to conclusive evidence showing, then it is recommended not to mix the two if you plan on decreasing your blood alcohol levels.
Should you try mixing CBD and alcohol together?
So the next question should be, should you try mixing the two? Or just avoid it? The answer is, yes. Combining them shouldn’t be a problem as long as you take the appropriate amount and dosage, rather than getting yourself completely drunk in the process.
This is because studies with the effects of the two remain sparse even though there’s a promising study indicating that mixing them gives you positive effects. More research should be conducted to have a more conclusive answer.
It is also important to note that the studies that were conducted were done to rats and mice. We have a different biology to mice and rats, so this means that what works for them might not work for us or the other way around. It is also worth noting that weed and alcohol interact with us differently.
So, if you plan on mixing CBD and Alcohol, a drink or two is more than enough. Anything past that, then expect side effects.
Conclusion
Mixing CBD and Alcohol isn’t the ideal combination you want to mess with. This is because there are still no significant findings on how both of these work on humans. Plus, there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to the interactions as we react differently to these compounds.
Finally, if you are planning to mix both of them, then have it in a small amount. As long as there is no conclusive research between the two, I highly recommend avoiding this combination.
