THC and CBD effects on alcohol use among alcohol and cannabis co-users

In fact, one recent study looked at the effects of CBD in alcohol-addicted rats. It found that CBD helped reduce alcohol intake, prevented relapse, and decreased motivation to consume alcohol (15). Comparison of cannabidiol, antioxidant, and diuretics in reversing binge ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. Figure 1 Explored therapeutic prospects of cannabidiol in previous experimental research on alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD are the two most abundant cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. Alcohol use disorder occurs when a person isn’t able to limit or control how much they use alcohol, despite experiencing negative consequences. Overusing alcohol can result in changes to the brain, making it harder to stop the behavior.

Cannabidiol for Reducing Alcohol Drinking Levels

Inextricably linked to adolescent learning and memory development is educational attainment, one of the most critical developmental tasks for youth. Thus, substance-induced deficits are arguably even more impactful for young people than adults. Ten studies included in this review examined the effect of alcohol or cannabis use on learning and memory performance throughout adolescence. Overall, there is no strong, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/is-cannabidiol-addictive-the-effects-of-cbd/ consistent evidence to indicate that low to heavy alcohol use during adolescence or young adulthood disrupts executive functioning maturation across time. Longitudinal data on cannabis use and executive functioning performance suggest that frequent consumption and greater cumulative use across adolescence may disrupt inhibitory control, working memory (particularly in females), planning, and decision making.

• Research from 2021 shows a combination of CBD and naltrexone, an FDA-approved drug for treating alcohol use disorder, can help curb alcohol cravings.
• Neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant properties of CBD could thus prevent or alleviate some alcohol-related brain damage.
• Another study suggests that CBD is effective in reducing seizure frequency and severity from baseline in adults and children with treatment-resistant epilepsy.
• Consistent with its large therapeutic target spectrum, sometimes with opposite effects, the therapeutic dose range of CBD should be defined specifically for the various symptoms that clinicians want to alleviate, in connection with hypothetical receptors or secondary pathways.

The possible mechanisms for these drug–drug interactions are presented in table format. Studies focused on alcohol effects are summarized first, followed by cannabis, then co-use studies. At baseline, 53% of youth reported lifetime alcohol use, 30% had smoked tobacco, and 12% had tried another substance, including 7% who had tried cannabis.

When to talk with your doctor about alcohol use disorder

The systemic immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties of CBD appear to be based on complex mechanisms. Through activation of adenosine receptor A2a, and inhibition of adenosine reuptake (Carrier et al., 2006; Castillo et al., 2010), CBD can modulate the activity of multiple inflammatory cells, including neutrophils, macrophages, or T-cells. Furthermore, CBD decreases caspase 9 (Castillo et al., 2010) and caspase 3 activation (Iuvone et al., 2004; Rajesh et al., 2010; Da Silva et al., 2014; Santos et al., 2015), which are factors involved in apoptosis. CBD up-stimulates anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 (Kozela et al., 2017). Finally, CBD activates the PPAR-γ, a nuclear receptor that plays a central role in the regulation of metabolic and inflammatory cell processes, including those leading to apoptosis (O’Sullivan and Kendall, 2010). Therefore, more research is needed to determine how CBD may affect blood alcohol levels in humans.