CBD in the UK is touted as a fantastic way to manage stress and anxiety. Many people use it due to the fact that is a non-psychoactive and non-intrusive, something you can easily fit into your daily routine. In fact, many people talk about their casual use of CBD in similar terms to that of a glass of wine.
The glass of wine is a well-established trope and, in some cases, routine for the average office worker. Some people like nothing more than a glass of wine to help them shrug off the exertions of a hard day at work and the end-of-week trip to the pub is practically a mandatory ritual.
With the established popularity of alcohol and the growing popularity of CBD it begs the question, is it safe to mix the two?
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What happens when CBD and alcohol interact?
CBD and alcohol can interact with each other in the human bloodstream, of course, this isn’t an immediate cause for concern, it depends on what they do when they mix. Like many aspects of the CBD world, there isn’t a huge amount of research into the effects of CBD and alcohol.
However, there is a 1979 study that sheds some light on the interactions between CBD and alcohol.
The study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, involved 10 members who were administered a placebo of orange juice and a sugar pill, CBD and orange juice, CBD and alcohol, and alcohol on its own. Following this, the researchers assessed how the various substances impacted the subject’s psychomotor skills, motor performance, and blood alcohol levels.
It was found that the participants who were given alcohol and the alcohol-CBD mixtures did noticeably worse in the motor tests. However, it was noticed that there was little difference between the two groups. One key difference noted was that the subjects who took the alcohol-CBD mix showed lower blood alcohol levels despite the actual impairment being identical to the alcohol-only participants. Wholesale suppliers of isolate to the alcohol industry believe the market will grow.
Could CBD help counter the effects of alcohol?
Does this mean that CBD can help reduce your blood-alcohol level? A 2013 study in the Journal of Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behaviour examined this. In a study on binge drinking, researchers looked into the effects that CBD had on alcohol-induced neurodegeneration in animals.
The subjects were given doses of CBD prior to being given alcohol. All dosing methods seemed to reduce the neurodegeneration by over 50%. In 2014, another study found that CBD seemed to be able to help the liver recover from alcohol-induced liver injury. On the other hand, there are several studies that show mixing CBD and alcohol may not be such a great idea.
This is because they may actually compound each other's effects, leading the individual to get drunker and more sedate than would otherwise be the case. This could lead to a huge range of risks for the consumer, potentially putting them in immediate danger.
CBD and addiction
CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system, an internal network of receptors found throughout the human body. This system plays a role in how neurotransmitters communicate as well as how we feel emotions. Some studies suggest that a deficiency in certain endocannabinoids may be a contributor to addiction.
There is research that indicates that CBD therapy may be a good solution to addiction, up to and including, alcoholism. CBD therapy could help prevent addiction from forming in the first place or even prevent future relapses.
As mentioned above, CBD research is still somewhat thin on the ground, but in the future, it may yet be proven to be a fantastic therapy to help deal with the long-term effects of alcohol.
