Heyyy party animal! 🥳
Are you heading out for a night on the town and wondering what happens if you mix alcohol and CBD?
What will it feel like when you take them together? Can you still dance the night away, or will you nod off at the bar before midnight? Is it true CBD helps with hangovers?
Take a walk on the wild side in today’s CBD 101 blog post to discover what happens when you mix CBD oil and alcohol. We’ll talk safety and interaction risks, but we’ll also see how CBD may protect your brain and liver from the adverse effects of excessive alcohol use.
TL;DR: you might get a little cross-faded if you take a CBD product immediately before or while drinking alcohol because they can amplify each other’s sedative properties. However, there is no evidence of harmful effects when you take CBD and drink alcohol. Adding CBD to your party plan may offer advantageous health benefits, too.
RELATED ARTICLE: What is CBD, and how does it work?
Can you mix CBD and alcohol safely?
Mixing alcohol and CBD is generally safe for healthy adults.
Studies show the combination won’t make people feel more intoxicated, and it doesn’t matter what type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, rum, whiskey, tequila) it is mixed with — CBD safely mixes with them all.
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For best results, start low and go slow when first combining CBD and alcohol together until you know how it affects you.
How much CBD can I mix with alcohol?
Use the Cannabiva® CBD dosing chart for healthy adult drinkers to find your CBD dose based on your weight, then choose the strength you need.
If you’ve never taken CBD before, use the starter dose until you know how the combination affects you.
Take CBD together with alcohol when you feel comfortable doing so.
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Try taking CBD a few times without alcohol to see how it affects you before combining the two.
What are CBD and alcohol benefits?
CBD is a cannabinoid made by a type of cannabis plant called hemp. It has no psychoactive properties and cannot affect your mental state or motor function.
Cannabinoids are medicinal compounds that interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) to change the way you feel. The ECS influences almost every vital function in your body, from stress response to mood, pain sensation, and more.
According to research, adding hemp CBD products to your night out may protect the brain and liver from damage caused by overconsumption and alcohol misuse. This is important because we don’t always intend to drink too much. It just sort of happens. 😉
Here’s how mixing CBD with alcohol may help:
- Reduces stress
Tamps down on your body’s stress response to alcohol consumption - Stabilizes mood
Promotes a positive outlook to counteract mood balance issues caused by alcohol use - Relieves anxiety and tension
Calms nerves and alleviates anxious feelings triggered by using alcohol - Eases headaches and body aches
Alleviates alcohol-induced physical discomfort by reducing pain sensitivity - Promotes anti-inflammatory effects
Decreases the body’s inflammatory response to drinking alcohol - Boosts healthy immune function
Supports your immune system with it’s alcohol detoxification efforts - Regulates sleep/wake rhythms
Promotes deep, restful sleep after drinking to aid in healing and recovery
Taking CBD with alcohol offers an added layer of protection in case a couple of drinks unexpectedly turn into an all-night banger.
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What happens when you mix alcohol and CBD?
People typically feel the effects of alcohol right away. CBD works more slowly by comparison, taking about an hour to absorb and up to three hours to reach peak effects.
Let’s review the available cannabis research to see what the science says about CBD mixed with alcohol effects:
Fights oxidative stress
Cannabinoids, along with other cannabis plant compounds called terpenes, flavonoids, and polyphenols, have powerful anti-oxidant benefits to counter the loads of oxidative stress from alcohol consumption.
Protects healthy liver cell function
Taking CBD stimulates autophagy in the liver, which cleans up damaged liver cells that otherwise cause more oxidative stress. Autophagy reduces inflammation and may help protect against liver cell damage caused by binge drinking.
Shields against alcohol-induced neurodegeneration
Studies using animal models show CBD significantly reduces the damaging effects associated with heavy drinking and substance abuse. In one pre-clinical trial, CBD reduced the neurodegenerative effects of alcohol use by up to 48%.
RELATED ARTICLE: Is CBD good for the nervous system?
Does not increase intoxication
You should not feel “more drunk” when you combine CBD with alcohol, and it shouldn’t affect your motor function either, according to research. Nonetheless, it’s always best practice to start low and go slow when first beginning CBD use and later when combining it with your favorite alcoholic beverage because everyone is unique.
Lowers blood alcohol level
People taking CBD while drinking alcohol (e.g., imbibing a cocktail with added CBD oils) showed lower blood alcohol levels than non-CBD users in one clinical study. This effect was only observed in participants taking CBD with alcohol at the same time. Those who took CBD one hour before their first drink showed no impact on blood alcohol levels.
Will CBD help me from getting a hangover?
Bounce back faster with CBD, the perfect addition to your pregame drinking strategy or in the aftermath as a hangover rescue.
CBD is a unique medicinal compound because it targets many molecular pathways in the body. Scientists think that’s why it promotes such wide-ranging benefits, from reducing anxiety to stabilizing mood, relieving headaches and body aches, and improving sleep quality.
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Proper hydration, eating well, and resting when possible are surefire ways to speed up your hangover recovery with CBD.
Will CBD help with alcohol misuse or abuse?
The jury is still out on a definitive answer to whether CBD helps with alcohol conditions like misuse and abuse. What scientists know from animal studies is that taking CBD with alcohol may curb the desire to drink, but more research in humans is needed.
Using CBD products is not meant to replace discussions with a qualified healthcare professional. Talk to your doctor before adding CBD to your wellness plan if you think you have an alcohol use disorder (AUD).
FAQs about CBD and alcohol
Need more info before mixing CBD with alcohol? Review the most frequently asked questions below, or contact us for an answer to something we haven’t covered in today’s post. Cannabiva sales associates cannot provide medical advice.
