The free and confidential advice lines can help you determine the severity of the problem and whether treatment is necessary. While a marijuana overdose won’t kill you, it can cause uncomfortable symptoms, such as severe nausea and vomiting, extreme paranoia, panic, trouble gas x and alcohol interaction concentrating, and decreased coordination and muscle control. Remember, healthcare professionals are ready to provide help and support in times of need. With more states legalizing recreational weed, crossfading is becoming more common. Talk to your doctor or reach out to a mental health professional to discuss your options.
Exercise Caution When Combining Alcohol and Weed
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. The concept of being “cross-faded” was studied by Patrick & Lee with a young adult survey conducted in Seattle, Washington. Being cross-faded can create a unique but unpredictable high that is different from the effect of consuming each substance separately. Activities like driving, using machinery, or any other activity that could endanger you or others must be avoided after consuming cannabis and alcohol. Be aware of your own limits and take care of the people you’re with if they show any signs of overconsumption.
For example, you might feel like you’re good to drive, but your blood alcohol level may be well over the legal limit. For example, a 1992 study had 15 participants smoke a placebo, a high dose of THC, or a low dose of THC on three occasions. On each occasion, they’d rank a different dose of alcohol, including a placebo, as a low dose or a high dose. Cannabis and alcohol are both central nervous system depressants, meaning they slow down breathing, heart rate and brain function.
Among college-aged drinkers, lifetime and past year use of cannabis increased as level of alcohol consumption increased [24, 25]. Mixing alcohol and weed can have more risks beyond just increased impairment and intensified side effects. It might lead to dehydration, heightened anxiety, or paranoia and raise the risk of accidents or risky behaviors. Long-term use of both substances together could also contribute to developing substance abuse disorders and other health issues. Because every individual is different, combining weed and alcohol can have vastly different effects from person to person.
Increased Risk of Reckless Behavior
- The order in which people take the two substances may affect the experience and, if not taken responsibly, could also increase the risk of overconsumption.
- Alcohol boosts your body’s absorption of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in weed.
- If you are concerned about your level of alcohol or cannabis use, seek treatment from a mental health provider who works with substance use issues.
- During a greenout, individuals may feel dizzy or lightheaded, making it hard to stay balanced or coordinated.
In serious cases, some people misuse both weed and alcohol because they struggle with a substance substance use group activities use disorder or an addiction. Drinking alcohol before smoking weed can produce a stronger high, which may cause intense symptoms in some people. Effectively, researchers think that marijuana can cause changes to the way alcohol impacts you.
Physical side effects of mixing alcohol and weed
Turns out, you might not need much alcohol to change the way your body absorbs THC. Read on to learn more about the potential reactions and what to do if you have a bad one. In rare cases, chronic marijuana use can result in cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which causes severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. However, the body of existing research is likely to grow and evolve as more states begin to legalize marijuana use.
Plus, a similar (but equally small) 2010 study found that alcohol consumption didn’t have much of an effect on THC concentrations. 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. Even small amounts of edibles can produce strong highs, depending on the amount of THC and other cannabinoids that they contain.
Marijuana use may contribute to cognitive decline, poor attention and memory, and lowered IQ, especially in the developing brain. The American Psychological Association suggest that adolescents’ developing brains are especially vulnerable to long-term damage from weed use. Characterized by intense fear, racing thoughts, or a sense of impending doom. These psychological symptoms can be overwhelming and distressing for the person affected. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses.
If you intend to experiment with cross-fading, drink first and see how you feel before you start consuming cannabis. Then, take it extremely slow, choose low-THC strains, and cease consumption if you start feeling any ill effects. Studies suggest that people who consume marijuana and alcohol simultaneously generally consume more of both. 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.
However, if you have experience with edibles and wish to cross-fade, make sure you purchase your edibles from a reputable and licensed dispensary where your products are properly tested and labeled. This way, you’ll have a much clearer idea of how much THC you’re consuming. People new to mixing these two substances are advised to opt for low-THC-content strains with their alcoholic beverages to avoid greening out. Take steps to get unhigh if you or somebody you’re with is feeling dizzy, nauseous, vomiting, or sweating.
The potency of either substance can also impact the level of alcohol and weed concentration in your blood.8 For instance, a beer has lower alcohol per volume and you tend to drink it more slowly than a shot. Your body, therefore, absorbs it more slowly, leading to lower blood alcohol levels. The higher your tolerance for alcohol or marijuana, the greater the amounts of it you are likely to consume to feel the same effects, which can lead to dangerous levels of it in your system. This could lead to severe impairments to functioning and a higher risk of overdose. Overdose is a medical emergency that can lead to brain damage from loss of oxygen, coma, or death.
This can intensify impairment, making it hard to function safely and increasing the risk of accidents or injuries. Additionally, combining these substances may worsen negative side effects, causing discomfort or distress. Avoid mixing substances, which can lead to harmful interactions and adverse reactions. Stick to one substance at gifts to celebrate sobriety a time to reduce the risk of overdose or other health complications. If you’re struggling with substance misuse, rehabilitation programs can offer guidance and support tailored to your needs, helping you stay safe and make healthier choices. It’s crucial to educate yourself about the risks and effects of different substances to make responsible decisions about drug use.
Findings from preclinical research support the existence of potential cross-tolerance between cannabis and alcohol that may have important translational implications for clinical research. With driving under the influence for example, blood THC concentrations obtained from drivers may be lower than set limits despite greatly exceeding them while driving. Further complicating interpretation, blood concentrations during driving cannot be back-extrapolated due to unknown time after cannabis use and individual variability in THC blood concentration trajectories [101]. Therefore, more laboratory research is needed on pharmacokinetic interactions between cannabis and alcohol and performance impairments from co-use. To date, research in this area has been constrained by a relatively low dose of cannabis administered relative to cannabis with much higher THC potency commonly in use today [46]. This increased potency has been implicated in worse behavioral outcomes including increased alcohol intoxication, yet has been largely left unstudied.
