CBD oil and Alcohol
CBD has rapidly become popular in the health and wellness industry, often appearing for sale at supplement shops and natural health stores. You can find CBD-infused oils, CBD creams, lip balms, bath soaks, protein bars, and more. But is it ok to mix products like CBD oil and Alcohol?
Alcohol manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon by producing CBD-infused shots, beers, and other alcoholic beverages. However, many people have questioned the safety of combining alcohol and CBD oil and if it is advisable to drink alcohol and mix CBD together.
This article reviews the pros and cons of mixing CBD and alcohol.
What is CBD?
CBD stands for Cannabidiol. It is a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis plant. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient in cannabis, CBD is non-psychoactive and will not give you the high commonly associated with marijuana.
You can read more about how CBD will not make you high.
CBD oil is obtained from cannabis plants like hemp, which are subsequently infused with a neutral carrier oil such as sunflower, coconut, olive, or hemp seed oil.
CBD has grown in popularity over the last several years and is now available in a number of different formats, including sprays, capsules, food items, tinctures, and injections. CBD’s potential health benefits include pain management, anxiety reduction, and skin health improvement.
Find out more on what is CBD.
Alcohol and CBD oil may amplify each other’s effects
Alcohol has been shown to lower inhibitions and induce feelings of calmness. CBD products have similar effects on your body like promoting calmness and helping with sleep function.
For example, one study of 72 individuals revealed that CBD dosing of 25–75 mg per day for just a month reduced anxiety and enhanced sleep quality. Taking alcohol and CBD together could amplify these effects, potentially causing symptoms like increased sleepiness and sedation.
Some also claim that mixing cbd and alcohol can intensify each other’s effects, resulting in changes in mood and behavior. Our customers have reported CBD amplifying the effects of alcohol so we know first hand there is plenty of validity to it!
What Other Studies Say about CBD oil and Alcohol
A study with a small sample group looked at what happens when participants were given 200 mg of CBD along with 1 gram of alcohol for every 2.2 pounds (1 kg) they weighed.
The study found that consuming alcohol and CBD together caused motor performance skills to decline significantly, as well as a person’s ability to judge time. None of these effects were present when participants only took CBD by itself.
This suggests that CBD does not cause impairment in anyway where as alcohol can cause significant impairments.
There are some flaws with this study though. The main flaw is the amount of CBD oil administered is much higher than a normal person would take at 200 mg of CBD per day.
Our normal recommended dosage would be between 30mg to 80mg depending on your needs. Again, very little research has been done in this field and we are all waiting for science to catch up.
SUMMARY
While both CBD and alcohol both have calming qualities, it’s unclear exactly how they’ll affect you when taken together. More research is needed in this area but combining alcohol and CBD can lead to adverse effects. As a note, please do not drive while consuming alcohol.
CBD oils may protect against alcohol’s side effects
Not much is known about the effects of mixing CBD oil and alcohol scientifically, but millions of people who take CBD oil and drink will tell you that mixing the two does seem to make the effects of drinking stronger.
Still, there is a lot of promising research that shows CBD may protect against some of alcohol’s negative effects.
In which ways can CBD oil can protect against the negative effects of alcohol consumption?
The cannabis plant has long been revered as a potent medicine. Ancient civilizations have used hemp and cannabis extracts for a number of reasons. The natural fact that drinking can cause so many adverse effects, it is only natural to explore what CBD oil can help with.
CBD may prevent cell damage and disease.
Too much drinking can break down cells, which then ups the ante for developing conditions like pancreatitis, liver disease, and specific cancers. Alcohol intake daily compounds these risk factors so please get help if you drink alcohol everyday.
There is some hope to counterbalance these effects by taking CBD.
A study done on rats showed a reduction in brain-cell damage cause by excessive alcohol consumption. The study was done by applying CBD Gel topically on the rat’s skin. The ailment was reduced by up to 49%. Here is a link to that study.
A study conducted on mice revealed that CBD not only helps prevent alcohol-induced fatty liver disease, but also stimulates the production of new cells and tissue regeneration through a process known as autophagy.
CBD oil may reduce blood alcohol levels BAC
Blood Alcohol Concentration or BAC is a measure of how much alcohol is present in the blood. It is the most common way police will determine if a person is too impaired to drive or be on the street. Basically, too much alcohol will get you into trouble.
That’s because the higher a person’s BAC is, the more impaired their motor functions will be. This is because alcohol affects the central nervous system. If you’ve seen recovering alcoholics, you will notice that years of drinking as caused them to shake.
A study consisting of 10 people revealed that those who took 200 mg of CBD along with alcohol had significantly lower blood alcohol levels than participants who only consumed a placebo.
Additionally, it’s essential to understand that the research was conducted in the 1970s using a substantially high dose of CBD. The study administered doses five to ten times greater than what is typically taken. There is no telling if smaller, regular doses of CBD would have produced similar results.
In additional research, CBD did not appear to reduce blood alcohol concentration in several animal studies. When rats were given CBD together with alcohol in several investigations, blood alcohol concentration was not reduced.
Based on these findings, more research is needed to say that CBD may affect blood alcohol levels in humans. We wouldn’t bet the farm on using CBD oil to lower your BAC to drive home!
CBD may be therapeutic for alcohol addiction
Some researchers believe that CBD could help treat alcohol use disorder.
This is because some animal studies have shown that CBD can help reduce several symptoms of addiction and in this context, alcohol withdrawal.
To start, alcohol withdrawal is tough; some say it is harder than quitting smoking. If you are trying to quit drinking, speak to a medical professional. Alcohol abuse damages the human body, causes liver damage, damages blood vessels and raises blood pressure significantly.
Given the many negatives of chronic drinking, many people become dependant. Addiction to substances are chronic diseases that you should seek help to beat. There is no shame in speaking to someone about it.
Studies have shown that combining CBD to your withdrawal plan can help reduce addictive behaviors like alcohol cravings and anxiety. Your symptoms depend on your alcohol intake but combining CBD oil and other methods like exercise and meditation can help treat anxiety and have other positive effects.
What do scientific studies say about CBD and alcohol addiction?
There are many researchers that believe CBD can potentially help treat alcohol use disorder. Here is a list of studies to support their belief.
There is strong evidence that consuming cbd can reduce withdrawal symptoms. In two studies done on rats, study1, study2 researchers found that drug seeking behavior is reduced by pure CBD from the hemp plant; much like our products here at Pure Organic CBD 😀.
A more recent study suggest CBD can reduce the motivation to start drinking which is encouraging news for anyone trying to quit.
More studies are needed on this subject, but the research has been promising so far. So if you are getting ready to ditch the alcoholic drinks try taking cbd oil to get you through it!
Should you mix CBD and alcohol together?
That’s a tough question. Mixing CBD and alcohol can lead to more impairment while drinking. It can reduce your cognitive function and diminish your capacity to think. There is also limited research about mixing cbd and alcoholic drinks so it may be best to not do it.
But if you are a drinker, even a moderate drinker, CBD has benefits that can negate the effects of drinking. It can lower blood pressure, help you get a more restful sleep and reduce alcohol induced nausea among other things.
CBD and alcohol are two substances that can be mixed together, but with great caution. If you are like most people and do occasionally drink, mixing cbd and alcohol will not impair your treatment with CBD oil. If you are going to mix cbd into your routine, take it slow and monitor the effects.
Our Conclusion
Mixing CBD and alcohol may amplify the effects of both substances. In high doses they may cause drowsiness which is dangerous if you are driving or at a party. But we’ve also shown that taking CBD has many benefits when mixing alcohol consumption into the equation.
That’s because numerous human and animal studies have illustrated that CBD has the ability to protect cells against alcohol-inflicted damage, as well as diminish blood alcohol concentration and addiction or withdrawal symptoms. When you mix CBD oil into your drinking habits, no matter how small they are, you can really build a layer of protection for your health.
We’ve also found that both CBD and alcohol consumption needs more research when they are used together to determine what exactly is happening to the body and mind. Not enough research has been done in this vast field of study so we are eagerly waiting for new results.
If you’re concerned about your health, consider whether drinking alcohol and alcohol addiction might be a problem for you. If you determine that drinking alcohol is a problem for you, get help.
CBD and alcohol can be mixed together if you do not drink daily. When you mix CBD and alcohol the effects of each can be strong so bear that in mind. If you are looking to take CBD oil and are looking for CBD products that are safe, legal and tested, we are you source.
Shop our entire range of Full Spectrum CBD oil and THC Free Broad Spectrum Oils right here.