The best thing to do if you have a bad reaction from drinking too much alcohol is seek emergency medical attention. But if you’ve been drinking a lot, it might be hard to tell the difference between a green out and alcohol poisoning, which can be life-threatening if not treated. In a 2015 study, 19 participants drank either a placebo or small amount of alcohol.
THC-Infused Alcoholic Drinks
Importantly, endorsement of some negative consequences following SAM days was low, and overall, participants endorsed a negative consequence on one-third of the study days (31%). Nonetheless, negative consequences were more likely on days when multiple alcohol products were used, especially compared to the most prevalent category of using leaf + beer. By contrast, negative consequences were not more likely on days when dual cannabis products were used, relative to leaf only + beer. A non-trivial proportion of SAM days involved consuming two cannabis products alongside multiple alcohol products on the same day, which we hypothesized would be the most problematic combination. Yet, combinations involving multiple alcohol products or two cannabis products were equally risky for experiencing negative consequences, relative to the presumed most problematic category (multiple products of both substances).
A combo you should never mix with driving.
Chemically speaking, alcohol is a broad term that refers to a class of organic compounds that contain a hydroxyl (-OH) functional group. The most common type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages is ethanol, which is produced through the fermentation of sugars and starches found in various crops like grapes, grains, and potatoes. The authors of a 2017 review suggest that people who use alcohol and weed together typically consume more of both drugs. This higher intake may increase the risk of dependence on alcohol, weed, or both. 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.
The studies that have been conducted have only examined drinking alcohol first and then using weed. These studies are mostly pre-2000 and include small numbers of participants, but they may provide some preliminary insight into how mixing weed and alcohol at different times affects the side effects. Mixing alcohol and weed can have more risks beyond just increased impairment and intensified side effects.
- Only concentrate + beer and leaf + beer had significantly lower odds of experiencing a negative consequence after adjusting for covariates, relative to using concentrate combined with multiple alcohol products on that day (see Figure 3A).
- By pacing yourself and setting limits, you can avoid potential risks like overdose or making poor decisions while under the influence.
- This disaggregation of within- and between-person effects provides useful information about the day-level effects of each combination relative to the four tested reference group combinations.
- Subjects completed three alcohol conditions intended to sustain steady blood alcohol concentrations (0, 0.5, and 0.7 mg/ml) over 5 h.
Be mindful of your tolerance for both substances and how much alcohol you consume. 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. Both drugs have similar effects on the body and mind, including drowsiness, slowed reflexes, and changes in judgment and time perception.
Epidemiology, Comorbidity, and Associated Problems of Cannabis and Alcohol Use Disorders
The effects of alcohol and THC were evaluated alone, and in combination, across separate sessions, in a within-subjects, randomized, double-blind design. 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. An interaction between ethanol and THC was observed, however, on ratings of desire combining alcohol and marijuana produces to consume more of the administered drug. THC, when combined with ethanol, decreased the elevated ratings of wanting more ethanol after ethanol administration.
Though we found greater cannabis consumption on days where two cannabis products were used, we did not find that using concentrate and leaf on a given day, compared to using only concentrate, led a greater chance of experiencing a negative consequence. Findings from preclinical research support the existence of potential cross-tolerance between cannabis and alcohol that may have important translational implications for clinical research. Although clinical studies consistently demonstrate increased cognitive and behavioral impairment from co-use at varying doses, interpretation of blood THC levels is complex due to rapidly decreasing concentrations immediately following smoking. 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.