The moral of the story about mixing weed and alcohol is to listen to your body and not overindulge in either of the substances. Be smart and remember to hydrate to prevent the bad time that can come with being crossed. Smoking weed or eating edibles and drinking alcohol will delay that tipsy feeling, making it much more likely that you’ll drink too much. Pay very close attention to how many drinks you’ve had — mark it down or send yourself a text every time you start a new drink so you can easily count how many you’ve had.

• Adding alcohol to a low dose of THC impaired driving simulator scores by 21 percent.
• This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
• Drinking alcohol before smoking weed can produce a stronger high, which may cause intense symptoms in some people.
• The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only.

Long-term effects can include liver damage, brain damage, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of certain cancers. Additionally, alcohol can lead to addiction, which can subsequently devastate a person’s health and well-being. While alcohol and cannabis affect the brain differently, they share a similar target called the dopamine reward system.

Higher risk of dependence

Then all the participants inhaled vaporized low-dose or high-dose THC. Those who had alcohol prior to inhaling THC had higher peak THC levels than participants who had a placebo instead of alcohol. Cannabis and alcohol intersect at countless get-togethers – and nights kicking back at home. If you are mixing the two, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind.

In some cases, the individual may experience even more disruptive symptoms such as panic attacks, anxiety or paranoia. The deliberate use of marijuana in alcohol is usually to enjoy a unique high called cross-fading. A person becomes so intoxicated by drinking that he or she does not realize the danger of smoking a joint.

• Even small amounts of edibles can produce strong highs, depending on the amount of THC and other cannabinoids that they contain.
• However, individuals who green out after consuming alcohol and weed may want to seek medical attention, especially if they have respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.
• New information indicates that combining the two may cause individuals to overuse both substances, which in some cases can result in death.
• This means that until the levels of alcohol in the system have been metabolized, other substances remain relatively unchanged.
• The free and confidential advice lines can help you determine the severity of the problem and whether treatment is necessary.

It’s also possible to replace alcohol consumption with cannabis consumption instead, and many have. Despite the potential dangers of mixing https://sober-home.org/ them, it’s common to do so. If you combine cannabis and alcohol occasionally and in moderation, you probably have no reason to be worried.

This is because alcohol increases the absorption of weed’s main psychoactive ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). No matter what happens, if getting drunk or high in public is involved, having a friend nearby is the safest decision. When you’re getting drunk eco sober house rating and high, we especially recommend having them around, even when partying at home. When mixing substances, even if it’s a familiar combination, the results can be unpredictable. To ensure you stay healthy through the night, invite someone over who can help you out.

What happens when you use weed before drinking?

To err on the side of caution, assume you’ve had a bit more to drink than you actually have, or aim to drink less than you usually would without using weed. In a 2015 study, 19 participants drank either a placebo or small amount of alcohol. Ten minutes later, they used a vaporizer to inhale either a low or a high dose of THC. If you aren’t careful, the duo can lead to a case of the spins or a green out, two reactions that can turn a fun night out into a nauseated night in.

Addiction is serious, and it’s important for individuals to know how to recognize the signs of addiction and dependence in themselves or their loved ones. For those who feel like they can’t function normally without one of these substances or who combine them on a regular basis for a stronger high, help is available. Alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the blood through the stomach and the small intestine.

Alcohol + weed is seriously underrated.

This refers to a range of unpleasant physical symptoms that can result from a strong high. Read on to learn more about the potential reactions and what to do if you have a bad one.

However, there are those that traverse the ravine between alcohol and weed. While some end up slipping into the crevasse of blackouts and vomiting, others are able to enjoy the best of both worlds upon mastering the art of crossfading. The size of the study makes it difficult to draw any firm conclusions, and a few other studies have failed to duplicate these results. Even so, it provides important insight into how an individual’s body may react when they combine the two substances. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the main chemical compound in weed that creates a high sensation. Whether it’s used for medical or recreational reasons, it has a broad range of immediate and long-term effects on the body.

This can increase the risk of adverse outcomes, such as impaired judgment, slowed reaction times, and decreased motor control. In other words, it makes it a lot easier to start “greening out” (feeling light-headed or nauseous after getting too intoxicated too quickly. In addition, evidence has suggested that marijuana can change how alcohol is metabolized in the body. It’s believed to delay the absorption of alcohol, slowing the subsequent rise in blood alcohol levels. This can also lead to alcohol poisoning because, with slowed absorption, it takes longer to feel the effects of the alcohol, which may lead to drinking larger quantities. There are several drugs available for medically assisted substance abuse treatment, for example, suboxone for opioid addiction.

Crossfading: Mixing Alcohol and Cannabis

Not only that, alcohol hangovers may involve other, more severe symptoms, such as vomiting or stomach aches. Legalizing marijuana may help researchers better understand health effects because its quality, purity, and reliability of purchase from a reputable distributor will likely increase. The profundity of cigarettes’ health impact was really only gained as a consequence of longitudinal studies over the years,” Giordano says.

Combining weed and alcohol can increase the effects of both drugs and cause adverse reactions. The combination can also lead people to engage in unusual or risky behaviors. Both drugs have similar effects on the body and mind, including drowsiness, slowed reflexes, and changes in judgment and time perception. Others may drink alcohol before smoking marijuana to purposefully intensify the effects of weed. Drinking alcohol before smoking weed can amplify the effects of marijuana. Alcohol boosts your body’s absorption of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in weed.

Taken responsibly, both alcohol and cannabis can be a great time. Drinking alcohol and getting high at the same time – sometimes known as “crossfading” – can enhance the effects of both and potentially lead to some real side effects. Brian Obinna Obodeze is a professional health-niche content developer for AlcoRehab.org with six years of experience as a research writer. He is an expert in medical content development, especially in the field of addictions, general health, homeopathic medicine, and pharmaceuticals.

Long-term health effects

THC enters your bloodstream when you smoke and makes its way to your brain. Its similarity to anandamide means that it can attach to the cannabinoid receptors and similarly influence some of the same cognitive functions. Combining weed and alcohol can cause violent physical reactions consistent with a marijuana overdose.

If you do choose to partake, keep consumption to occasional use only because regular use is likely to worsen your mental health condition(s). It’s imperative to be careful when getting cross-faded using alcohol and edibles. Since it can take an hour or longer for the food to get digested enough for the THC to enter the bloodstream, some may assume it’s not working and take more. If that happens, when the THC from the original edible kicks in, the effects can quickly give you the undesirable effects of the dreaded green out. A longer, stronger high might sound fun, but it’s more likely to cause a green out than if you just smoked weed by itself.