What Happens When You Mix Alcohol and Weed Use?

weed and alcohol mixed

Alcohol can dehydrate you quite quickly, and if you haven’t had enough fluids, this can heighten the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Cannabis can also leave you with a dry mouth (“cottonmouth”) and make you feel parched. Taken together, alcohol and cannabis can compound these side effects of one another, so it is imperative that you stay hydrated if you alcoholism: causes risk factors and symptoms are consuming alcohol or cannabis – together or on their own. A dry mouth and increased thirst are also common side effects of cannabis, and taken together, the two substances can worsen the likelihood of dehydration. A shortage of fluids makes a severe hangover the next morning more likely, and dehydration can require medical treatment in severe cases.

weed and alcohol mixed

Epidemiology, Comorbidity, and Associated Problems of Cannabis and Alcohol Use Disorders

Others may drink alcohol before smoking marijuana to purposefully intensify the effects of weed. Hard liquor, with its concentrated alcohol content, can have particularly potent effects when combined with cannabis. This combo can lead to the most severe impairment and the highest risk of accidents and injuries. Therefore, you should be especially cautious about combining liquor and weed. This means you might be tipsier than you feel, increasing your risk for becoming overly intoxicated. Weed appeared to slow down the rise of blood alcohol levels after consuming a high dose of alcohol.

In states where marijuana is legal, beverages infused with THC or CBD are sold –– here’s what to know.

Since countries like Canada and many states in the U.S. have legalized some form of marijuana use, the conversation about mixing alcohol and cannabis is more important than ever. Limited research is available that shows the effects of smoking weed and then drinking alcohol. Some studies indicate that using weed may slow the absorption of alcohol, but the results is marijuana addictive are debatable. One reason it’s important to keep an eye on crossfading is that once you’re there, it can be difficult to become un-cross faded. While the only thing that can help you stop being crossfaded is time, there are things you can try to keep things manageable. Be sure to drink plenty of water, as both alcohol and marijuana can be dehydrating.

Clinical Research on Behavioral Performance Impairment from Co-use

  1. Long-term or heavy use can result in an impaired driving ability due to slow reaction times and poor judgment, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, increased respiratory infections and chronic disorders such as anxiety, depression or schizophrenia.
  2. If they are not, there is a very high risk of the Individual returning to substance abuse.
  3. Weed appeared to slow down the rise of blood alcohol levels after consuming a high dose of alcohol.
  4. In a 2015 study, 19 participants drank either a placebo or small amount of alcohol.

As a result, consumers should be aware of the effects of alcohol abuse such as alcohol poisoning, and the signs to look out for in the case of severe intoxication. Because alcohol can strengthen the effects of THC, it’s important to tread lightly when mixing alcohol with cannabis, especially if you’re sensitive to cannabis or if you’re a relatively new user. Proceed with caution and watch for any signs your body gives you to stop or reduce your consumption.

More than half of Americans live in states where recreational cannabis is legal. While alcohol remains the most-used drug in the US, daily cannabis use has actually outpaced daily drinking, according to a study following four decades of consumption trends. The other factor that makes it hard to answer this question is the relative lack of studies on the negative health effects of weed. We have several decades of research on the negative health effects of alcohol, but because it hasn’t been legal for that long, the number of people who were using weed was relatively small, and so there weren’t a lot of subjects to study.

Is a weed hangover the same as an alcohol hangover?

weed and alcohol mixed

While smoking weed and then drinking alcohol may slow down alcohol’s effects, drinking alcohol and then smoking weed can cause the opposite reaction—alcohol can intensify weed’s effect and lead to a stronger high. Particularly among those who don’t use marijuana on a regular basis, drinking and then smoking weed can cause intense symptoms such as nausea, sweating and dizziness. In some cases, the individual may experience even more disruptive symptoms such as panic attacks, anxiety or paranoia.

As a result, they have already renovated around 100 acres with Martin 2Protek. “If you are interested in trying it and it is legal for you to do so, be mindful about controlling the experience until you know how a particular product affects you,” she says. In states where marijuana is legal, beverages infused with THC or CBD are sold –– here’s what to know. Both can also leave you feeling a bit worse for wear the next day, though this is more likely to happen with alcohol. For example, one person may have a very low tolerance for weed but be able to tolerate alcohol well. Another person might not have any issues with misusing alcohol but still find it hard to function without weed.

This increased potency has been implicated in worse behavioral outcomes including increased alcohol intoxication, yet has been largely left unstudied. This type of research is difficult to conduct, however, due to the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance that restricts researcher access to cannabis products [102]. Extant research has shown that the ways in which alcohol is consumed can influence use and consequences, and this notion is currently reflected in protective behavioral strategies for alcohol use (Martens et al., 2007, 2005). Similar harm-reduction strategies exist for manner of cannabis use, including avoiding mixing with alcohol and avoiding cannabis concentrates (Pedersen et al., 2017).

Edibles are foods that contain marijuana or its active ingredients, such as THC. Getting drunk and stoned at the same time is sometimes referred to as getting crossfaded. But while most people drink and smoke pot at the same time to enhance their buzz, mixing the two drugs isn’t always a pleasant experience. In a leaked HHS document, officials wrote to the DEA in support of rescheduling the drug.

The way you consume weed can have a big impact on its short- and long-term effects. For example, smoking is rough on your lungs, but this risk doesn’t apply to edibles. There are countless cannabis products on the market and a number of consumption options, from vaping to edibles. The real problem with drinking cannabis—even if it’s not mixed with alcohol—is that there are so many variables.

Understanding the potential dangers, such as addiction, overdose, and long-term health effects, can empower you to make safer choices and prevent unnecessary harm. Mixing alcohol and weed can impair judgment, increasing the likelihood of risky activities such as drunk driving, unsafe sex, or disregarding personal safety. For example, a study in France found that about 40% of drivers involved in fatal accidents while under the influence of cannabis also exceeded the legal alcohol limit. However, mixing weed and alcohol can lead to significant physical and mental health issues, raising the risk of injuries and accidents. The exact risks of mixing marijuana and alcohol, or other cannabinoids and alcohol, are not well studied.

If you have any experience with cannabis, then you already have an idea of its unique flavor. No matter the cannabis ingredient, it adds an herbal undertone to any drink you mix it into. Before you can add cannabis to drink ingredients, it needs to be decarboxylated (“decarbed,” for short). This is because the active compounds in marijuana only become active with heat, which is why smoking is so effective. If you are concerned about neighbors or visitors, you will need to take precautions or select a method that reduces the odor. Before you mix up a cannabis-infused cocktail, there are a few things you should know.

The cannabis plant has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, if not millennia. It appears to help with treating pain, insomnia, anxiety, and glaucoma, among other health conditions. Still, evidence is mixed and more research into its health benefits is needed, researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said in August. Tennessee has legalized the cultivation unequal pupils symptoms, causes, and treatment of hemp and defined hemp as cannabis sativa containing less than 0.3% THC. Cannabis sativa containing greater than 0.3% THC, which is defined by Tennessee as marijuana, is still illegal. Marijuana being classified as a Schedule III drug means it would be classified alongside drugs including ketamine, testosterone, anabolic steroids and Tylenol with codeine, USA TODAY reports.

No, the symptoms of a cannabis hangover may resemble that of an alcohol hangover, but they are not quite the same. Symptoms of a cannabis hangover may include headache, fatigue, dry mouth, and brain fog. However, the severity and duration of these symptoms are generally less intense and shorter-lived than those of an alcohol hangover. Not only that, alcohol hangovers may involve other, more severe symptoms, such as vomiting or stomach aches.

It’s also necessary to be aware of safe consumption levels for each substance and avoid exceeding them. Cross-fading is a term used to describe the simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis. Specifically, when a person is both drunk and high at the same time, they’re “cross-faded.” This is because the combination of weed and alcohol produces a unique experience more pronounced than consuming either on its own. If weed use does slow down the increase in blood alcohol levels, this may cause people to drink more than usual. In turn, this could increase risky behavior and the likelihood of alcohol poisoning.