CBD is now clearly linked to reduced alcohol consumption

Nowadays there are numerous reasons why you should reduce your alcohol consumption.

For one, we have long known that alcohol causes multiple diseases, including heart disease and cancer, and, for another, alcohol-related pandemic-related alcohol can affect your immune system. So many people became used to drinking at home at zoom parties during the pandemic, and these so-called “quarantines” can have a profoundly negative effect on our health – at a time when we need them more than ever.

Excessive alcohol consumption can turn our lives for the worse. It can lead to domestic abuse problems and affect our families and personal relationships. One tip over the edge, however, can turn a liquor lover into a full-fledged alcoholic who is already advanced alcohol abuse.

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If you’re struggling to cut back on your drinks, new research supports the hypothesis that cannabis can help – in more ways than one.

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado, published in the medical journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, sheds light on cannabidiol (CBD). For the study, they analyzed both CBD and THC and hybrid strains. They found that participants who consumed cannabis strains with high CBD content “drank fewer drinks per drinking day, had fewer alcohol consumption days, and had fewer alcohol and cannabis co-consumption days compared to the other groups”.

RELATED: Does Using CBD Lead To Less Alcohol Consumption?

Meanwhile, study participants who consumed hybrid and THC strains showed no changes when their drinking behavior was analyzed. This showed a clear link between CBD and decreased alcohol consumption. “The present study tentatively supports the notion that plant-based CBD may be linked to reduced alcohol consumption by regular cannabis users, and suggests that regular cannabis users may be able to switch to a cannabis strain with higher CBD and lower THC -Change your level of alcohol to reduce your alcohol consumption ”, according to the authors of the study.

Other studies provide supportive evidence

The study’s co-authors also released separate data published in Addiction earlier this year, showing similar results. “Across the sample, people drank about 29 percent fewer beverages and had an episode of binge drinking 2.06 times less often on cannabis-in-use days than on non-cannabis-use days. These patterns have been observed in men, women and the groups with infrequent and frequent cannabis use. “

“Heavy drinkers who are undergoing alcohol-reduction treatment while using cannabis appear to increase their cannabis use on days when they are reducing their alcohol consumption,” they concluded.

RELATED: Can CBD, Psilocybin Help Combat Alcohol Abuse?

Another review, this time done by researchers from France and Belgium in 2019, found that CBD was helpful in “making it easier to reduce alcohol consumption,” the study authors write. In addition, they found that CBD “may provide idiosyncratic protection for the liver and brain, which could reduce the development and effects of alcohol-related liver disease and alcohol-related brain injury”.

For the study, researchers analyzed 26 older studies published from 1974 and June 2018 that focused on examining how animals given ethanol were affected by CBD administration. They discovered several studies that showed how CBD was effective in reducing alcohol consumption. “Experimental studies converge to find that CBD reduces overall drinking in animal models of AUD by reducing ethanol intake, the motivation for ethanol, relapses, and by reducing anxiety and impulsiveness,” they write.

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They also found that, in some studies, mice that were regularly given CBD were less likely to have the ethanol relapse even during periods of stress. For this reason, the authors write that CBD “could have a significant effect on alcohol consumption in people with AUD”.

RELATED: Marijuana will replace alcohol during the pandemic and may have long-term benefits

“CBD could have many other beneficial effects in patients with AUD, including anti-epileptic, cardioprotective, anxiolytic or analgesic effects. Human studies are therefore crucial to exploring the many prospects of CBD in AUD and related disorders, ”they concluded.

Legalizing cannabis is key

In the United States alone, nearly 14 million adults have a problem with alcoholism or alcohol abuse. In addition, you are also committing risky alcohol consumption, which could later lead to abuse. There are now more than 3 million teenagers in America between the ages of 14 and 17 who have a drinking problem.

This is why cannabis legalization is extremely important in helping people across the country fight alcoholism.

RELATED: Binge Drinking Decreasing In States With Legal Marijuana

To support this, there are numerous studies that indicate legalization. A study conducted by researchers from Georgia State University and the University of Connecticut found that having access to legal medical marijuana is beneficial for this. The study authors analyzed the relationship between retail sales of alcohol and MMJ laws in over 2,000 counties across the country from 2006 to 2015. They found that trends in alcohol sales in medically friendly states compared to those in states that use cannabis Still illegal, have found that there is an average reduction in monthly alcohol sales of 15% in legal districts.

“We find that marijuana and alcohol are powerful substitutes … States that legalize medical marijuana use have seen significant decreases in total sales of alcohol, beer, and wine. Furthermore, the effects are not short-lived, with significant reductions being observed up to 24 months after the law was passed. “

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If alcoholism is not treated, people can die. Other withdrawal symptoms include seizures, shock, headache, hallucinations, irritability, fatigue, fever, depression, and anxiety. Slow reduction with the help of a doctor and CBD is an effective life-saving strategy.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.