Are grass drinks actually a good alcohol substitute?

Voted “Best Budtender in Chicago”, Lorena Cupcake has answered hundreds of questions from cannabis buyers and patients during her time as a budtender. And now they’re turning that experience into a monthly advice column. Ask a budget tender. Have a question for cupcake? Send your questions to askabudtender@weedmaps.com.

Dear cupcake,

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to cut down on alcohol, starting with Dry January. While I usually smoke a little more, I’m curious about all of the new cannabis drinks I’ve seen on the market.

Are grass drinks actually a good alcohol substitute?

– Tree total

Dear tree totals,

This is a hot topic in the cannabis industry right now as endless brands vie for some of the money that is normally spent in bars and liquor stores. Cann, a line of lightly fortified fizzy drinks, even urged its followers to take a “playfully conciliatory 30-day alcohol break” called “Cannuary.”

According to Cann’s CEO and Co-Founder Jake Bullock, “We all know that alcohol is one of the worst things we can do to our bodies, and yet we keep doing it because alcohol creates social turmoil [alcohol] With a microdose of cannabis, drinks like Cann actually make a feeling – it’s light, uplifting, and makes you laugh out loud and be yourself with people you care about. Cann lets us forego the schnapps without giving up the buzz. “

Vince Ning, founder and co-CEO of California-based wholesale company NABIS, gave the Broccoli Report a more moderate perspective: “There’s a lot of hype, especially from (and for) investors. It makes sense to have drinks pick up; I think they will. But there are many challenges for this category, ”he told Lauren Yoshiko. “For one thing, people have no experience of using cannabis. It’s a new physical habit that may need to be established over the course of a generation that the cannabis supply chain really isn’t designed for that. Cannabis drinks are more expensive to sell. There are many physical limitations on the operational side. “

In addition, there is the fact that THC and alcohol are very different intoxicants. Weed drinks aren’t particularly suited to the kind of free-roaming pop stars who tame life in the fast lane. If you swap them at a noisy drinking event, you may get sleepier and cozier while others get louder and sloppier. I’m in my thirties so that doesn’t sound bad to me … but it’s worth being honest.

Find new ways to meet your needs

Like you, I have cut back on my mindless occasional drinking. In the past ten months of carefully tracking every glass of Chablis, I’ve cut out over three hundred drinks. For me, the key is figuring out what itch I’m scratching with alcohol and finding an alternate way to satisfy that knowledge.

Sometimes I want to relax with an indulgent “cocktail” that loosens me up, relieves stress, and relaxes my body. Microdosed beverages containing both CBD and THC are perfect. I even have my own infused golden milk for potential anti-inflammatory effects.

At other times, I want to enjoy complex flavors that complement food without opening a bottle of wine. When I’m not feeling like a virgin Bloody Mary, I usually resort to a bitter, non-alcoholic herbal aperitivo – and add a tasteless additive like ALT or Squeeze when I want to get high.

Honestly, sometimes I just want something that isn’t water. After you have tried each infused drink in your pharmacy, try to use part of your previous drinking budget for new juices, seltzer, or sodas.

You likely have different needs every day, so listen to what your body and brain are telling you. At the same time, do not be afraid to sit with discomfort. Many food cravings, even if intense at the moment, will go away if you wait for them instead of giving in to them.

You’re not alone

As I was writing this column, I called upon people who turned to cannabis to meet the needs they had previously met with alcohol. I wanted to learn more about other people’s experiences, whether they were successful or unsuccessful.

Nate, who no longer drinks, credits “smoking more and drinking less” for learning how to manage his ADHD is on my mind. This in turn usually helps me concentrate better for longer and reduce intrusive thoughts. “

Lenn (not her real name) also gave up drinking to drink cannabis. “Weed really helps me relax and decompress in the way I (delusingly) imagined alcohol would. I thought alcohol would help me write or think better if it could only cloud my mind. Smoking sativa now has this effect for me – keeping my head clear, but also allowing me to think beyond my immediate fears. “

Know when to stop

As an alcoholic, Jack relied on cannabis to curb his cravings to drink. “After a few years of full functionality,” he told me, “I withdrew completely from my life. I went to rehab in Chicago thinking I was just going to deal with my depression, but they put me on an addiction program because of my cannabis habit. The counselors helped me understand that I had never developed the emotional coping skills I needed because staying stoned had worked so well for me. “

While Jack notes that cannabis “doesn’t seem to affect the majority of people the way it does me,” he has met many people with similar stories while attending 12-step meetings. “I still go to meetings for alcoholics and stoners, and I mostly agree with how confused people get when I say I was and still am addicted to cannabis.”

If you are looking for help in breaking down drug or alcohol addiction, organizations like SMART Recovery offer free mutual support meetings and resources to guide you on your recovery journey.

Bottoms up

Cheers, Treetotaler, for taking the time to reevaluate your relationship with alcohol. You are bound to discover some delicious infused drinks and maybe even create a sustainable lifestyle page. According to the British Liver Trust, research done on over 800 Dry January participants showed that they were still drinking less in August.

For some people, cannabis drinks can have some of the positive effects of alcohol while avoiding the negative. That being said, cannabis will never be exactly like alcohol – and neither would I.