CBD and Alcohol - Recipes and Effects

Alcohol and CBD… do they mix? Is it safe to mix CBD and alcohol? Does one help the other? Chances are if you are already an avid CBD user and you drink alcohol, you’ve probably already inadvertently “mixed” the two. You may have even seen the many trending CBD-infused cocktails and CBD-infused beers on the scene now. There is an obvious growing popularity of CBD-infused drinks and with good cause because there are many benefits to the combination of alcohol and CBD. From drinks with CBD in them to taking CBD before, during, or after drinking alcohol, there is no getting around it - mixing alcohol & CBD is here to stay.

The Basics

Before combining anything when it comes to what you’re ingesting, you should know at least the basics of each item. CBD does have ingestible products, some you can add to other foods or drinks. Alcohol is, obviously, a drink. So, really, it makes logical sense for you to ask if these two things can be taken at the same time or even mixed together. 

In our more fundamental CBD education blog posts, we go into greater detail about CBD than here. What you need to know about CBD now is that it is absolutely, 100% non-psychoactive. That means that CBD won’t have any affect on your sobriety - CBD will not get you high. If you’d like to delve even more into CBD, read our CBD 101 blog. 

Benefits to Mixing

There are actual benefits to mixing CBD and alcohol. Whether it’s making a mixed drink, taking CBD at the same time as drinking, or taking CBD after a night of drinking, you can receive the benefits of CBD while (or after) enjoying an alcoholic beverage. Of course, each person is different and reacts differently to CBD and alcohol, so make sure you try it with moderation and understand how your body already reacts to CBD and alcohol separately before combining them.

CBD & Drinking

If you have been taking CBD already, you may have been mixing CBD & alcohol, even if just accidentally. If you have, good for you! CBD is healthy for your brain as a whole. It has neuroprotective qualities that can prevent degeneration, even that caused by alcohol. There is still research to be done when it comes to cell protection and CBD, but animal studies have already shown that CBD could reduce cell damage (brain and liver).

CBD & Hangovers

Hangovers... yikes. The older you get, the more “out of commission” you feel after any amount of drinking the night before. (Or is that just me?) The worst thing about hangovers is that they are always avoidable in retrospect, right? At least for me, I always berate myself: “I shouldn’t have had so much to drink last night”, “I didn’t need that last drink”, etc.  Regardless of your hangover situation, there are some symptoms that may be relieved by using CBD products. The major symptoms of hangovers are usually nausea and headaches. CBD oil, especially tinctures that are Full-Spectrum, can help reduce the dreaded hangover nausea and headaches. For more information on headaches and CBD, check out our article here. While CBD may not completely rid you of these symptoms, it can relieve pain that is associated with them.  

Another common thing to deal with on those hangover days is anxiety or better known as the “Sunday scaries”. This anxiety caused by alcohol can be severely reduced by taking CBD. A study in 2011 conducted on people with severe social anxiety showed that those people that took CBD before a public speaking simulation were calmer, had lower stress, and less elevated heart rates than those that took a placebo This shows that CBD does decrease anxiety symptoms. So, taking CBD for the Sunday scaries is definitely something I’ll be adding to my hangover arsenal from here on out.

CBD & Alcohol Withdrawal

Giving up alcohol is a personal choice and the reasons can vary. No matter what your reason is for giving up alcohol, you could still suffer from alcohol withdrawal. One of the major issues with giving up alcohol is potentially having depressive episodes. CBD oil can help with controlling these episodes or just depression in general. If you’d like to read more about CBD oil and mental health, check out our article on it here. 

CBD can also help with alcohol withdrawal when used as an alternative in two ways. One way CBD can help is that it can help relax the mind, which sometimes is the reason people use alcohol (and in copious amounts). When you take CBD as a relaxant instead of alcohol, it can be a more controlled product rather than chugging down a couple beers and then getting the dreaded hangover. Another related issue with giving up alcohol is that once you give it up, you may miss the “drink in your hand” feeling. Mocktails or non-alcoholic beers will probably be your best friend if you are able to. As for CBD in this situation, you can add CBD oil or tinctures to these drinks, then the relaxing properties of CBD will be involved in your consumption.

CBD and Alcohol Addiction

Another reason that a person would give up alcohol is because of an addiction. While studies are still being conducted, current studies on humans have shown that CBD can help reduce the addiction “need” feeling. This study, which looked at smokers and their cigarette addiction, showed that using a CBD inhaler for one week reduced their cigarette use by 40%. As more and more studies are conducted, it will be easier to be able to choose products based on what our exact ailment is. One way for you to see your own CBD benefits success is to start measuring. Check out our blog on how to measure your CBD. 

CBD & Alcohol Working Together

You may be familiar with the term “taking the edge off” when it comes to alcohol. This is because alcohol is a depressant, which doesn’t necessarily have to equal “negative”. Alcohol is definitely a great way to relax, or chill, and people who drink for this purpose usually aren’t drinking in large quantities. CBD is known for treating symptoms of anxiety, which means that it also has relaxing properties. When pairing CBD and alcohol for mere relaxation, they may help you reach a deeper state of relaxation without the mental fuzziness you could get from having multiple alcoholic beverages. CBD is not a depressant, but naturally sends signals in your body to stop over stimulating.

How to Take Tinctures & Oils

There are many types of products out there containing CBD. When it comes to quicker access to the effects of CBD, oils and tinctures may be the best option. Also, if you are wanting to add a CBD product to your alcohol, oils and tinctures are going to be the products to use for that. When taking CBD oil and NOT adding it into a drink, read our guide on how to take CBD sublingually here. If you decide to add a CBD oil or tincture to a drink, see some fun recipes below. Taking more of a DIY approach to it can be fun. Just check the recipe of the drink and either add it to the drink after you make it or you can add it while you are making the drink and shake it or stir it into it as the directions suggest. 

You'll notice the recipes call for a "dose" of CBD. Your individual dose may vary but we typically suggest people take 50-100mg of CBD per day as a starting point to understand its effect, so adjust accordingly.

You can also make cookies with CBD oil! Check out our blog here.

CBD and Alcohol - Drink Recipes

Below we’ve added some easy to follow drink recipes that incorporate CBD oil. If none of those drinks are your style, try any one of your favorite cocktail recipes and add in your choice of CBD oil. Maybe add a strawberry CBD oil to a vodka lemonade? How about a cucumber mint CBD oil to a mojito? Even a chocolate mint CBD oil to a mudslide sounds super tasty! The options are endless. If cocktails aren’t your thing, you can add any CBD oil to just about any drink: tea, coffee, beer, mocktails. Shop here for our full list of CBD oils and tinctures.

Recipes courtesy of Liquor.com

Go Try Your Favorite Drink With CBD

Though there is much research to be done when it comes to CBD and alcohol, there are many benefits in mixing the two however you choose to mix them. Always make sure you know how your body reacts to certain things and make sure you are safe when drinking alcohol. Also, of course alcohol is meant for individuals 21+ years of age. Speaking of, if you tried one of the drink recipes, let us know in the comments! If you came up with your own recipe and added a fun-flavored oil, drop it in the comments. We can’t wait to see what you are enjoying!

For more cocktail recipes, read our other alcohol blog here.

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