The CBD products that have hit shops and online websites since CBD (cannabidiol) was legalised include an interesting variety of premade CBD juices, teas and coffees, sodas, sparkling water, and even energy drinks.
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900mg CBD Patches
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They’re all just standard beverages that have been infused with cannabidiol, a plant compound that’s quite similar to psychoactive THC but with one major difference: CBD doesn’t get you high.
A CBD drink doesn’t even provide the buzz that you’d experience after having a cocktail or two — but some people have begun substituting CBD-infused beverages for the alcohol they used to enjoy while relaxing or hanging out with friends.
Does that make sense? It might.
This isn’t meant to pass judgment, but those who drink simply to get drunk may not find that a CBD drink takes them where they want to go.
For those who have a drink to take the edge off after a tough day, however, cannabidiol’s apparent ability to relieve stress or ease pain (mental or physical) might do the trick. A CBD-infused beverage might also let you have more fun with others; several studies have reported that social anxiety is eased by cannabidiol.
There are reasons other than stress relief to replace alcoholic drinks with CBD drinks, of course.
Alcohol has been identified as a contributing cause of multiple health issues, including heart health risks, learning and memory issues, mental health disorders, immunity problems, cancer, and multiple social problems as well. It’s also a major cause of substance use disorders.
And that’s in addition to the short-term risks associated with overconsumption like drunk driving accidents, violent encounters and abuse, uncontrolled behaviours, and alcohol poisoning.
By contrast, cannabidiol is non-intoxicating and non-addictive, and it has only rare and non-serious side effects. It appears to provide a wealth of health and medical benefits in addition to easing anxiety and stress. Extra benefit: no hangovers, either!
Switching from alcohol to CBD drinks might not work for everyone, but it’s a healthy and sensible idea for those who are able to make the substitution.
Here’s an in-depth look.
CBD vs. Alcohol
It makes sense to start with a comparison of the two substances and how they deliver their effects.
What Is CBD, and How Does It Work?
CBD is a plant compound, one of more than 100 in a class called cannabinoids. THC is the other most important cannabinoid. Both are found in cannabis and hemp, although there’s very little CBD in cannabis plants and large amounts of it in hemp plants. That’s one reason why the cannabidiol infused into CBD drinks and other products is extracted from hemp.
The other reason? Hemp contains very little of the psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that triggers the signature effects of cannabis, so there’s not THC enough in hemp to make users intoxicated.
When CBD drinks or other products are consumed, the cannabidiol interacts with a key network of receptors and chemical messengers in the body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The chemical structures of the neurotransmitters that act as ECS messengers (known as endocannabinoids) are very similar to those of cannabinoids like CBD and THC.
And the similarity allows CBD (and THC) to interact with the ECS receptors, sending new messages and altering those already in the system.
Here’s why that matters. The ECS governs most of the body’s key functions including thinking, pain control, sleep, and immunity, so cannabinoids are able to affect those functions and many more. THC binds to the group of receptors located primarily in the brain and nervous system, allowing it to deliver its mind-altering effects.
CBD, however, mostly interacts with ECS receptors elsewhere in the body, which manage functions like immunity and inflammation. It only has minor effects on the brain, so it’s unable to cause intoxication or even a buzz. Cannabidiol doesn’t impair users, it’s safe for almost all users to consume, and it causes only minor side effects that aren’t experienced by most people.
What it does do, though, is deliver a huge number of apparent medical benefits. We’ll get to those shortly.
What is Alcohol, and How Does it Work?
Ethanol is one of three types of chemical compounds classified as alcohols; methanol and isopropanol are the other two and they’re used for fuel, cleaning, and other purposes. Only ethanol is suitable for human consumption (it has other uses, too), and when “alcohol” is used in the context of discussing alcoholic beverages, the word refers to ethanol.
When alcohol is consumed it acts as a central nervous system depressant, slowing down brain activity. As consumption increases, alcohol alters behaviour, mood, and self-control, clouds thought processes, and affects body metabolism and coordination.
It’s also the world’s second most-consumed psychoactive substance (believe it or not, coffee is #1), and alcohol is used by responsible drinkers to make them feel relaxed, happy, confident, and less inhibited. However, one study has found that 90% of all regular users say they drink “responsibly,” including 83% of those who drink at what are called “risky” levels.
Alcohol works very differently than CBD. It interferes with communication between the nervous system and the rest of the body, and as consumption increases, it interacts with multiple areas of the brain to slow information processing and thinking, cause memory loss, decrease emotional and muscle control, affect sexual behavior and performance, and become sleepy.
Some of those same effects can be triggered by THC’s interaction with the endocannabinoid system, but CBD’s interaction with the ECS doesn’t cause any of those issues. That would seem to make cannabidiol an outstanding substitute for alcohol — if it could provide the effects that users are seeking. Let’s look at that next.
Potential Benefits of Alcohol and CBD
Research on the possible positive effects of light or moderate alcohol consumption always receives lots of publicity, which is understandable. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide drink alcohol, nearly 33% of all adults — and more than half the population in Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific region all drink.
Some of the positive effects that mild or moderate drinking may provide include:
- Lower risk of heart disease or death from cardiac events
- Lower risk of dementia or cognitive decline over time
- Lower risk of developing diabetes
- Lower risk of developing gallstones
- Lower mortality rates than those who drink heavily or abstain from alcohol
Some of those findings have been challenged or come with “asterisks,” but there’s certainly enough evidence to say that drinking responsibly might provide some health benefits. Whether they offset the many potential risks of regular drinking is a matter of debate.
Most who consume alcohol, though, don’t do it to lower their risk of diabetes or gallstones. They do it to relax, socialize while lowering their inhibitions, cope with stress or anxiety, or numb emotional or physical pain. In short, they drink because they think it helps them feel better.
CBD drinks might fit that bill.
There’s a long list of potential benefits discovered by researchers investigating the effects of cannabidiol. They include:
- Possible relief of chronic pain, particularly pain caused by anti-immune and inflammatory diseases
- Possible easing of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Possible help fighting insomnia and sleep disorders
- Possible lowering of heart health risks like high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure
- Possible easing of acne and other skin diseases
- Possible help in battling some types of cancer
And most importantly, for our purposes:
- Possible easing of stress, anxiety, depression, and other major mental health disorders
Compare that potential benefit with the list of reasons why people drink alcohol — relaxing, coping with stress and anxiety, numbing emotional pain — and it’s clear that CBD drinks might easily take the place of alcohol for many.
Even some of the other rationales for drinking might be satisfied by cannabidiol. CBD appears to be effective at easing social anxiety, the primary reason that people feel inhibited while interacting with others. And CBD’s apparent ability to ease pain might be just what people who drink to ease physical discomfort are looking for.
Potential Negative Effects of CBD and Alcohol
Most people know about the many possible dangers of drinking too much alcohol from health classes in school, public service messaging in the media, or sadly, personal experience.
In large amounts (which differ by user), alcohol can cause drowsiness, sedation, and even death (not to mention hangovers). It’s an addictive substance that can also cause major damage to the heart, liver, immune system, gastrointestinal system, and pancreas, and has been linked to the development of several types of cancer.
Overuse of alcohol can lead to serious personal and lifestyle problems. Social ostracism, loss of job, loss of relationships or family, legal problems, and huge financial costs aren’t uncommon for many who are addicted to alcohol use.
The social impact of heavy alcohol consumption can cause serious problems for people other than the drinker, of course. Drunk driving and workplace accidents, injuries and death; violence, crime, and abuse triggered by alcohol abuse; and increased costs to taxpayers for enforcement, remediation, and treatment are just some of the ways that alcohol use impacts society.
Now, let’s talk about the possible negative effects of CBD: (this space intentionally left blank).
That’s a slight overstatement, of course.
Minor side effects like tiredness, nausea and vomiting, and changes in appetite are occasionally experienced by CBD users, but they’re almost always people who are new to CBD drinks and other products or those who use excessively high doses regularly. Almost all CBD users suffer no negative effects whatsoever. They don’t get hangovers, either.
CBD isn’t addictive and doesn’t damage the body in the ways that alcohol can. The reported possibility of cannabidiol causing liver damage has been largely disproven; only a few cases have been seen, all in people who use extremely high doses of cannabidiol daily. And CBD isn’t intoxicating, so the societal problems linked to alcohol aren’t issues in any way.
The WHO summed up the safety of CBD use by saying that cannabidiol has no abuse potential and doesn’t cause harm. When coupled with CBD’s apparent ability to ease the stress, anxiety, and pain that leads many people to drink alcohol, CBD drinks would seem to be a natural and sensible replacement.
