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. It’s possible to develop an emotional and/or physical dependence on both substances. Adolescents who use marijuana and alcohol together are more likely to develop drug and alcohol addiction, depression and other health and social problems . Unfortunately, more people are driving under the influence of weed and alcohol.

Enter your phone number below to receive a free and confidential call from a treatment provider. People’s responses to each substance can vary greatly, so what seems safer for one person might not work for someone else. Both can also leave you feeling a bit worse for wear the next day, though this is more likely to happen with alcohol.

Mixing edibles with alcohol

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. If you’ve mixed weed and alcohol and are having a bad reaction, it’s probably because alcohol seems to make the high from using weed stronger. This can happen any time you’ve consumed to much weed — with or without alcohol. It is commonly known that alcohol is addictive, but there is debate over whether marijuana can be considered addictive. It is possible to develop a dependence on marijuana, where a person experiences cravings, restlessness, mood and sleep disturbances, and irritability when they don’t use the drug.

Side Effects of Marijuana

Sure, research on the topic is ramping up a bit, but there’s still a lack of large, long-term studies. Before getting into comparing alcohol and weed, it’s important to understand some of the factors that make the comparison tricky. Cannabis and alcohol are both central nervous system depressants, meaning they slow down breathing, heart rate and brain function. Some people, especially those who are not used to weed consumption, may experience a “green out.” A green out can cause intense and unpleasant symptoms, such as dizziness, sweating, nausea, and vomiting. The order in which a person uses weed and alcohol may affect the outcome. Weed and alcohol together can also impair reaction times and other cognitive functions necessary for safe driving.

Weed and Alcohol

The effects of marijuana and alcohol on their own are unpredictable, and combining them makes this worse. You can absorb THC more quickly when there’s alcohol in your blood, which can increase the risk of experiencing uncomfortable side effects. Compared to solely drinking alcohol, using the two substances at the same time doubled the odds of drunk driving, social consequences, and harms to self.

Both drugs have similar how to wean off 10 mg prozac effects on the body and mind, including drowsiness, slowed reflexes, and changes in judgment and time perception. Weed appeared to slow down the rise of blood alcohol levels after consuming a high dose of alcohol. While there’s some research around the effects of drinking alcohol before using weed, there isn’t much about the opposite approach.

If using weed does indeed slow the absorption of alcohol, it might also delay feelings of drunkenness. This might seem like a good thing, but it makes it harder to know how impaired you really are. 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. Karoly, Hollis C.; Ross, J. Megan; Prince, Mark A.; et al. “Effects of cannabis use on alcohol consu[…]drinkers in Colorado.” Addiction, September 2021.

Among college-aged drinkers, lifetime and past year use of cannabis increased as level of alcohol consumption increased [24, 25]. Using substances to cope with negative feelings may be a sign of a substance use disorder or an alcohol use disorder. Drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time can lead to alcohol poisoning, where critical parts of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and temperature can shut down, leading to death. Because more alcohol is usually consumed when using alcohol and marijuana at the same time, users are at risk for alcohol poisoning and should pay close attention to how much they are consuming.

But if you’re sensitive to weed or don’t have much experience using it, it’s best to avoid mixing the two. It’s also important to remember that people can have very different reactions to the same mix of alcohol and weed. If you’re out in a group, one person’s reaction might be very different than yours. Daily drinking can have serious consequences for a person’s health, both in the short- and long-term.

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. If you’re old enough, you may remember hearing in the anti-drug class at school that when taken together, alcohol and cannabis double the effects of one another. While there is no evidence of a doubling effect, the research does indicate that the two substances do augment the effects of one another.

How To Handle a Bad Reaction

Further, if you try to cut back on either alcohol or cannabis, your reliance on the other substance is likely to increase. In fact, marijuana is the most frequently used substance among drinkers. People may use a combination of these substances to get more of an effect for both or combat the side effects of one or the other, but it can be risky and unsafe.

Depending on the individual and the amount consumed, users may experience altered senses (such as seeing brighter colors and have an altered sense of time) as well as have issues with cognition. There have been reports of delusions and hallucinations when taken in high doses. Although it is possible to experience negative side effects from marijuana, such as anxiety and paranoia, the drug is considered generally safe and what does flakka smell like non-life threatening.

1. Despite the fact that alcohol is legal for people over the age of 21, it can be dangerous and deadly in both the short and the long term.
2. Physical symptoms like nausea and vomiting are common, as well as sweating and dizziness.
3. The authors reported no evidence for synergistic effects of acute combinations of very-low-dose alcohol and THC on subjective or physiologic response, or on cognitive performance.
4. Generally, higher levels of consumption or an increase in consumption of one substance is related to higher levels of or an increase in use of the other substance.
5. While cannabis alone had minimal effect on performance, again the combined impact of cannabis and alcohol on divided attention were greater than those by alcohol alone.

Other laboratory research has been used to examine driving-related skills and performance following co-administration of both alcohol and cannabis. Perez-Reyes and colleagues [67] conducted an investigation examining the interaction between alcohol and cannabis on plasma concentrations, subjective intoxication, and psychomotor performance. Alcohol (0.42 g/kg, 0.85 g/kg, or placebo) was administered to participants over 30 min, and cannabis (2.4% THC or placebo) was administered 15 min later. Findings from this research suggested that the performance impairment of driving-related skills attributed to alcohol were potentiated by cannabis. However, alcohol administration before cannabis administration did not significantly impact subjective ratings of “high,” heart rate, or THC plasma concentration. Similarly, Ramaekers et al. [68] assessed the separate and combined effect of alcohol and cannabis administration on driving performance during a balanced, 6-way, crossover design investigation.

It might seem harmless to mix alcohol and weed, but doing so can be a slippery slope toward getting overly intoxicated. If you take medication, talk to your doctor before using weed, alcohol, or both. They may weaken the effectiveness of your medication whats speed balling or increase your risk for certain side effects. When mixing weed and alcohol, there are a lot of other variables to consider in addition to which one you use first.

A number of recent studies also focus on how combining weed and alcohol affects your driving. 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. This is because alcohol increases the absorption of weed’s main psychoactive ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Typically, alcohol withdrawal symptoms happen for heavier drinkers.

Generally speaking, weed tends to come with fewer risks than alcohol, but there are a lot of factors to consider. Plus, they’re unique substances that produce different effects, which makes side-by-side comparisons difficult. A 2001 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence showed that when people drank the equivalent of two shots of alcohol and smoked marijuana, their THC levels were almost double that of individuals who hadn’t had any alcohol.

Luckily, this is easy to avoid by just knowing your limits and not overdoing it. powerless over alcohol examples If you’re going to use alcohol and cannabis together, we recommend starting low and going slow. Your tolerance can be affected by the potency of the alcohol and the cannabis used, so be mindful that not every mix may have the same effect. As much as possible, know what you’re drinking and which cannabis you’re using, and let this factor into how much you consume of both. CBD does not have the psychotropic effects of THC, so consuming it with alcohol does not include the risk that you will experience heightened levels of intoxication from the alcohol.

Alcohol And Marijuana

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. 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]. Research suggests that co-use of alcohol and cannabis has synergistic effects over and above additive risk, as is evinced in the impaired driving literatures.

Both alcohol and marijuana slow reaction time, impair coordination and concentration, and reduce decision-making abilities — and the drugs cause greater impairment when used together. Alcohol and marijuana are both psychoactive substances, meaning they can change the way a person thinks and feels. Mixing the two can intensify these mind-altering effects, increase the risks of driving drinker nose drunk and make a person sick.

Individuals who are drinking alcohol and consuming edibles should carefully monitor what they consume. However, it is safer to avoid edibles entirely when drinking alcohol. Using alcohol and weed simultaneously also increases the chances of having unprotected sex with a partner, as well as other negative outcomes relating to legal issues, academia, and relationships. Research indicates that people who mix alcohol and cannabis are more likely than those who only drink alcohol to engage in sensation seeking behavior.

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. Weed use before alcohol may slow down the rise in blood alcohol levels, which can reduce or delay the sensation of being drunk.

How to handle a bad reaction

However, this finding comes from older research, and some people have questioned this study. Not everyone reacts in the same way to weed, alcohol, or a combination of both, and many factors play a role in how a person will respond. However, it is helpful to understand the possible outcomes of mixing these drugs.

Drunk driving, self-harm: the other risks of mixing marijuana and alcohol

“Acute and residual effects of alcohol an[…]mood and performance.” Psychopharmacology (Berlin), July 1994. While awaiting medical attention, it is important to keep the person safe from harm. This includes preventing injury and providing reassurance and emotional support.

Clinical Research on Behavioral Performance Impairment from Co-use

Still, there’s some evidence to suggest that regularly combining alcohol and weed may have some concerning effects over time. One of the main active ingredients in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which can lead to cognitive effects and impairments. There is a need for more rigorous and longitudinal research studies on the co-use of cannabis and alcohol to glean a more complete understanding of the relationship between the two substances. Findings can be used to develop and refine intervention strategies to successfully reduce cannabis and alcohol co-use. Too much of a good thing can be a real bummer, even if the worst thing that happens is a bad hangover (or a bad “weedover”).

Health Risks of Taking Marijuana and Alcohol Together

1. Negative social consequences include fighting, relationship problems, accidents, arrests and other legal problems.
2. The effects of marijuana and alcohol on their own are unpredictable, and combining them makes this worse.
3. Using similar methodology, a second study suggested that plasma THC levels were significantly increased when subjects first consumed alcohol [72].
4. Because physical and mental impairment can be more pronounced when you combine cannabis and alcohol, it can be hard to know if someone’s symptoms are due to a marijuana green-out or excessive alcohol intake.
5. Therefore, more laboratory research is needed on pharmacokinetic interactions between cannabis and alcohol and performance impairments from co-use.
6. Used alone and in moderation, these substances can be consumed safely and legally in certain states.

The reason behind this is that alcohol increases the absorption of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main psychoactive component in cannabis. People who smoke weed after drinking alcohol often experience a stronger high. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. A recent study has also shown that those who consumed alcohol had much higher levels of THC in their bloodstream compared to a placebo group.

She’s passionate about empowering readers to take care of their mental and physical health through science-based, wean off prozac empathetically delivered information. On the surface, weed appears to be safer, but there’s simply not enough evidence to declare a winner. Cannabis addiction is surprisingly common, however, according to 2015 study. For example, one person may have a very low tolerance for weed but be able to tolerate alcohol well.

If you use weed before drinking, pay extra attention to how much you’ve had to drink. 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. For example, you might feel like you’re good to drive, but your blood alcohol level may be well over the legal limit. However, this study was pretty small, making it hard to draw any firm conclusions. Plus, a similar (but equally small) 2010 study found that alcohol consumption didn’t have much of an effect on THC concentrations.

If you or someone you love is struggling with a marijuana addiction, consider calling a marijuana hotline. The free and confidential advice lines can help you determine the severity of the problem and whether treatment is necessary. Negative social consequences include fighting, relationship problems, accidents, arrests and other legal problems. While a marijuana overdose won’t kill you, it can cause uncomfortable symptoms, such as severe nausea and vomiting, extreme paranoia, panic, trouble concentrating, and decreased coordination and muscle control. Alcohol can also cause people to feel more hungry than usual, which may lead them to overindulge on edibles.

The researchers found significantly higher peak THC levels among participants who had alcohol versus those who had a placebo. “Any dose of alcohol combined with cannab[…]els of THC in blood.” May 27, 2015. That is why alcohol detox and alcohol withdrawal treatment is administered by medical professionals.