CBD and alcohol: a dangerous mixture?

It's quite common to discover the CBD via a friend, sometimes in a friendly or festive setting. If this is your case, you may ask yourself whether or not you can mix CBD with alcohol or if it is better to separate these two consumptions. In this article, you will see the consequences of this mixture on the mental and physical plane.

What is CBD?

CBD is a cannabinoid. It is a substance from hemp. Unlike THC (illegal cannabinoid substance), CBD has no negative side effect, except at very, very high dose. It does not cause euphoria. It has soothing properties and facilitates sleep. Moreover, the consumption of 100% legal CBD does not cause dependence and even less psychoactive effects (toxic, delirium). Isolated with THC, it has many benefits for the health and well-being of the consumer. In recent years, cannabidiol has been the subject of numerous scientific research. Many of them have already confirmed their therapeutic potential and some countries prescribe CBD to reduce the symptoms of certain chronic physical or mental diseases (stresses, anxiety, muscle pain, sleep disorders...). Since the legal CBD is not a drug, it is possible to purchase it in a specialized shop to discover the aromas of hemp and its benefits, without secondary effect. To understand the interactions between alcohol and CBD, we must know that they both have a much different action on the body.

What are the effects of CBD on the body?

The consumption of CBD provides many positive health effects mental and physical of the consumer:

  • The CBD acts on the endocannabinoid system, a very complex system of the human body that maintains its internal balance, homostasy.
  • Unlike THC which deregulates appetite, emotions and sleep, CBD will promote the regulation of the central nervous system and the digestive system.
  • It strengthens the immune system through its anti-inflammatory effects.
  • Cannabidiol is under study for its potential effects in the treatment of psychosis
  • It reduces stress and anxiety.
  • CBD would reduce chronic seizures in people with epilepsy.
  • It accelerates sleep and provides better sleep quality.

What are the effects of alcohol?

Depending on the dose consumed, alcohol can cause more or less dangerous effects to the body:

  • Alcohol acts like a narcotic on the brain.
  • It reduces motor reflexes and concentration.
  • It can cause sleepiness.
  • At high doses, alcohol can cause nausea or ethyl coma.
  • The drunkenness disinhibits. The alcoholic person thus partially loses control of his actions and feels very intense emotions, positive as negative.

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How does CBD interact with alcohol?

As we have just seen, alcohol produces effects totally opposed to CBD. It is above all an exciting product that slows down a person’s driving abilities. Conversely, cBD allows to relax, to calm down, to get rid of physical pain, but does not cause any excitement or adverse side effects for the body. The mixture of CBD and alcohol could intensify the mood and behavioural changes related to the intoxication. It is therefore dangerous to combine alcohol and CBD.

Attention to excessive alcohol consumption

Of course, it is recalled that excessive alcohol consumption leads to very dangerous effects. In particular, it influences the development of several pathologies such as:

  • Breast cancer, colon cancer, mouth, pharynx and rectum,
  • The rosacea,
  • Cardiovascular and digestive diseases,
  • Diseases of the nervous system,
  • The headaches,
  • Psychic disorders.

Conversely, CBD does not cause any disease or psychotropic effects. Its relaxing effect in fact rather a food supplement of choice. Therefore, although the mixture alcohol and CBD only slightly amplify the effects of alcohol, it can be dangerous in the long term. You can consume CBD every day without any danger to your health, if it meets the applicable legal standards (especially with a strictly controlled THC rate). On the contrary, consuming alcohol every day is extremely harmful to health. Few studies have been conducted on the subject, it is preferable to avoid the combination of these two products. If you have any doubt, please refer to a health professional. You can also contact the Lab Shop team for additional information on CBD and its consumption patterns.

CBD and alcohol: Does CBD reduce alcohol consumption?

CBD can be used for use fighting alcohol dependence. Its soothing effect would reduce several withdrawal symptoms, including increased stress related to lack. By creating an appeasement ritual and reproducing it day after day, the CBD can:

  • Replace relaxing alcohol consumption with a healthier product,
  • Prevent the relapse,
  • To facilitate digestion,
  • Recover a restorative sleep,

Always in a principle of ease and relaxation, CBD can also help people with addictive behaviors to derive from any product that leads to addiction. To better understand how CBD allows reduce dependence on addictive products, it is necessary to first understand the origin of dependency.

Dependence: Can CBD reduce addiction?

When we experience pleasure, whether it's eating, meeting friends, or having a good time, our brains release large amounts of dopamine, the pleasure hormone. Naturally, as humans, we tend to want to recapture that pleasant feeling by replicating those experiences that made us happy. The drugs and alcohol are particularly effective in stimulating this reward system. The term “deflection” echoes the many disturbances that it causes on the brain. To the point, even though consumers feel bad, sad or very tired the day after a drunk evening. In the context of alcohol, this well-known relapse phenomenon is the “wood leg”, a spleen amplified by a migraine, which is related to dehydration. In the long term, when a person is under the influence of a drug (soft or hard), this disrupts the balance of his neurotransmitters. As soon as the person stops drinking alcohol or consuming narcotics, she feels the effects of the lack and wants to take a drink or a dose to feel well again. The more frequent this risk consumption, the more difficult the withdrawal will be. Fortunately, alcoholism is not a fatality. With good psychological and medical support, it is always possible to get rid of his addictions. CBD is already used in alcohol or hard drug detox treatments. Thanks to cannabidiol, regular consumers suffer much less from the effects of lack and all mood disorders associated with it. Accompaniment, the establishment of a daily relaxation ritual also play an important role in the success of withdrawal. It is often difficult to share things between alcoholism and festive behavior. If you suspect alcohol, tobacco or drugs to take too much control over your life, take the time to take stock with a health professional before you turn to the CBD.