What happens when a person mixes CBD and alcohol?

Researchers do not currently know enough about how CBD interacts with alcohol in the body to recommend combining them. Present guidelines advise it may not be safe to mix CBD with alcohol, whether for short or long-term use.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate CBD, so people who buy CBD products should be aware that they could contain other ingredients besides CBD. Some of these ingredients may be harmful and could include pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria, and fungi.

Legally, any establishment with an alcoholic beverage license cannot sell any alcohol products containing either CBD or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Nor can they mix either of these compounds into the drinks they serve.

Alcohol is known as a depressant. This refers to substances that affect the central nervous system (CNS). This can cause a slowing down of messages between the brain and body. Although health experts do not classify CBD as a depressant, it can cause drowsiness.

A 2019 review notes that common side effects of combining CBD and CNS depressants, such as alcohol, are drowsiness and sedation. As such, it is not advisable to combine CBD and alcohol and drive or operate machinery, as this can increase the risk of injuries.

Unlike THC, CBD is not impairing. This means it does not cause the high that people associate with cannabis. However, researchers still do not fully understand how it affects the body.

When mixed with alcohol or drugs that aim to slow brain activity, such as those that treat panic and sleep disorders, a person may feel drowsy or sedated. In this state, a person has a higher risk of injury than when awake and alert.

While CBD does have some therapeutic applications, such as in the treatment of rare forms of epilepsy, it is not risk-free. Potential side effects may include:

CBD may prevent alcohol from binding to the 5HT1A receptors in the brain. Some evidence suggests that these receptors may play a role in alcohol dependence and AUD. This suggests that CBD could reduce alcohol consumption, which may protect a person from brain and liver damage.

However, there are potentially negative effects too. Some people who mix alcohol and CBD experience more problems with coordination and balance. They may also overestimate the amount of time that has passed between drinks.

More research is necessary to accurately understand how CBD and alcohol interact within the body.

CBD may help treat AUD in some people due to its effect on the brain. A 2019 review that focused on preliminary research in animals observed that CBD reduced:

Due to a reduction in brain and liver damage, researchers suggest that if the same effect is observed in humans, CBD could improve or maintain both cognition and liver function in people living with AUD.

CBD may exert its effect by influencing the reward centers of the brain and affecting certain addictive behaviors, including alcohol use.

Since CBD may normalize the brain’s response to certain substances, it could support positive behavioral changes regarding alcohol use.

At present, it is not advisable for a person to take CBD and alcohol. There is limited research regarding the safety and efficacy of CBD for both short and long-term use. The amount of studies focusing on how CBD and alcohol interact within the body is even smaller.

However, what experts do know about mixing alcohol with CBD is that it can increase the risk of sedation and sleepiness. This increases a person’s risk of injuring themselves or others.

CBD and alcohol both affect the brain and mixing the two can increase tiredness and sedation. Other side effects a person may experience when taking CBD include a change in appetite and mood.

A person should generally avoid mixing CBD and alcohol due to the lack of research regarding their joint effect on the body. CBD is also not regulated by the FDA, so other ingredients may interact with alcohol, increasing the risk of severe side effects.