Can I Drink Alcohol While Taking CBD Oil?

Despite CBD being non-psychoactive, meaning it won’t get you high, we get a lot of questions about how CBD oil affects the body, and whether or not you can continue your normal daily life while taking it.

One of the more common questions we’ve seen people asking online is “can I drink alcohol while taking CBD oil?” 

The simple answer to this is yes, but there’s a few things you might want to consider before you do.

What Is CBD Oil?

CBD oil is one of over a hundred cannabinoid compounds found inside the cannabis plant and is regularly used across the world as a food supplement to support a healthy lifestyle. 

It comes in many forms, including tinctures, topical creams and water soluble forms, as well as pioneering products such as our finely milled hemp powder, known as Hatcha.

CBD oil is commonly used to support the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a recently discovered network of receptors that runs throughout the body and interacts with the central and peripheral nervous systems.

CBD binds with these receptors, helping with homeostasis, which is your body’s ability to maintain a relatively stable internal state, regardless of what you are doing or changes in your environment.

Along with the many other cannabinoid compounds, CBD doesn’t tend to form part of our natural diet, so we can use CBD oil as a supplement to help ensure your ECS is working at its best.

Are CBD Oil And Alcohol Safe?

Despite its many known negative effects, including the potential for long lasting organ damage, alcohol is a substance that is regularly used by a large number of people around the world.

CBD has been deemed to be safe to use by the WHO, with the organisation finding that “CBD is generally well tolerated”, and also noting that “there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”

Does CBD Oil React With Alcohol?

While CBD is deemed to be safe for consumption and alcohol is ok within limits, there is still limited research on the effects of the two together.

Alcohol is a depressant, meaning that it reduces brain stimulation. CBD can be described as a relaxant, meaning that it brings a feeling of calm.

There are concerns that both CBD and alcohol could intensify each other’s effects, and therefore lead to drowsiness or behavioural changes in the consumer.

It is difficult to fully understand what the combination of alcohol and CBD really means due to the lack of scientific exploration at this stage so it is wise to err on the side of caution.

Regular heavy consumption of alcohol can have a huge impact on your body, including causing damage to the brain, nervous system, heart, liver and pancreas, as well as increase cholesterol and blood pressure. 

Based on what we do know, it is recommended that if you are going to take CBD and alcohol at the same time, then you should do so in moderation.

What About CBD Infused Alcoholic Drinks?

Due to the surge in popularity of CBD oil in recent years, it has been used to create numerous different types of ingestible products, including CBD infused sweets and treats.

Despite the unknown entities surrounding CBD Oil and alcohol, many companies have combined the two to create CBD infused beer or cocktails. 

But the same concerns apply. It is hard to know what the combined effects would be on individual people.

As with any product, particularly one containing CBD, we would always recommend caution before you try. 

Check that the company you are buying from is reputable and trustworthy and if you do decide to taste test, do so with care and consideration, and start small.

The Bottom Line

Everybody is different, and how one person reacts to something won’t be universal. 

Someone who drinks regularly might not feel the effects of a bottle of wine whereas an occasional drinker might feel tipsy after one glass. 

In the same way, people can react differently to CBD, so it is difficult to say with any real certainty how you personally would react to combining CBD and alcohol.

You can minimise risk by drinking alcohol responsibly and in moderation and using a good quality CBD product from a trusted brand. If you’re unsure, don’t do it.