What You Need to Know About Mixing Weed and Alcohol

Are you curious about the safety of mixing weed and alcohol? Read on to learn about how the combination of the substances can affect you.

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Mixing weed and alcohol — also known as getting “cross-faded” — results in a different experience than consuming one substance separately from the other. Weed (also known as cannabis or marijuana) and alcohol on their own can cause negative effects, and these may be amplified when combining these two drugs. 

While getting cross-faded might seem harmless, this combination can be dangerous, especially if too much of one or both substances are consumed. Here’s what you need to know about what happens when you mix weed and alcohol, the dangers of mixing these drugs, harm-reduction strategies, and how to know if you might have a problem. 

What happens when you mix weed and alcohol?

So, what exactly happens when you get cross-faded? Everyone’s different, and while one person might not feel major effects, another might become severely impaired. “Weed and alcohol have a synergistic relationship, consuming them together amplifies and intensifies the effects of both,” says Sarah Lyter, LCPC, MA, a Clinical Supervisor at Charlie Health. This may be partially due to the fact that both substances act on the body’s endocannabinoid system. Lyter says the amplified effects can lead to but not limited to:

• Impaired motor skills
• Impaired cognitive functioning
• Poor judgement
• Impaired decision-making
• Slowed reaction time
• Anxiety or paranoia
• Greater risk of overdose or overdose-like symptoms

The dangers of mixing weed and alcohol 

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the psychoactive component of marijuana, meaning this is the chemical that gets you high. When you drink alcohol before consuming weed –– whether smoking, vaping, or taking edibles –– this increases THC levels in your blood, Lyter says. This can cause you to feel higher than you would if you had only consumed marijuana. 

This higher level of THC may result in “greening out,” which is essentially a marijuana overdose. Greening out can result in a slew of unpleasant or even scary symptoms, including:

• Fast heart rate
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Headache
• Increased sweating
• Elevated blood pressure
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Confusion
• Hallucinations
• Psychosis

As for how cannabis consumption impacts alcohol consumption, there’s some old research suggesting that cannabis slows down the rise in blood alcohol levels if you smoke before you drink. This could potentially delay your feeling of getting tipsy or drunk. Therefore, people who use weed before drinking may be more likely to consume more alcohol, says Nicole Lonano, MS, a Charlie Health Group Facilitator. “If too much alcohol is consumed with this combination, it can lead to alcohol poisoning,” she adds. 

Alcohol poisoning (or alcohol overdose) can happen with or without cannabis consumption and typically occurs when someone drinks a very large amount of alcohol in a short time, commonly referred to as binge drinking. Signs of alcohol poisoning include:

• Vomiting
• Confusion
• Slow or irregular breathing
• Pale or discolored skin
• Low body temperature
• Trouble staying awake
• Seizures 

Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency, so seek medical attention ASAP if you think you or someone you’re with is experiencing it. 

All of this isn’t to say that you’ll definitely green out or have alcohol poisoning if you mix weed and alcohol –– it’s to make you aware of the risks if you go overboard with consuming one or both of these drugs.

The mental health effects of weed and alcohol

Whether you mix the two substances or use them separately, there are mental health consequences of consuming them.

Mental health consequences of weed

Cannabis comes along with its own adverse mental health effects, including:

1. Risk of schizophrenia

People who consume weed are at higher risk of developing schizophrenia, a mental health condition that results in hallucinations and delusions. The risk is higher for those who started using cannabis earlier in life and use it frequently. 

2. Panic attacks

Although weed can relax some people, it may cause heightened anxiety and panic attacks in others. Panic attacks are short-lived, intense episodes of panic consisting of troubling symptoms like a choking sensation, chest pain, and a feeling of impending doom.

3. Increased depression symptoms

In people who already have depression, weed might cause worsened depressive symptoms. A depressed mood is also a symptom of marijuana withdrawal.

4. Psychosis

Although rare, cannabis-induced psychosis is a possibility. This can cause hallucinations or delusions after you consume cannabis. It may be a one-time occurrence, or the effects could linger. 

Mental health consequences of alcohol

Drinking alcohol, especially in excess and chronically, can result in:

1. Panic attacks

Once the effects of alcohol wear off, this can lead to rebound anxiety (also known as hangxiety) and even panic attacks. 

2. Anxiety

Although alcohol may initially lead to a decrease in anxiety, it ultimately can result in more anxiety. Chronic heavy drinking can mess with the chemical messengers in your brain that regulate anxiety, leading to heightened anxiety in general.

3. Depression

Chronic alcohol use can contribute to developing or worsening depression. Plus, there’s a bidirectional relationship between depression and alcohol abuse, meaning one can worsen the other and vice versa, resulting in a vicious cycle.

4. Psychosis

Although not as common, alcohol can cause psychosis –– which includes hallucinations and/or delusions. This can be a result of intoxication, withdrawal, or chronic alcoholism. 

Harm reduction strategies for weed and alcohol 

If you still want to consume these two substances, it’s important to have safety considerations. Harm reduction can help to minimize the dangerous impacts of drugs. Consider the following harm-reduction strategies next time you consume.

1. Stick to one or the other

Ideally, you shouldn’t mix alcohol with other substances, Lonano says. If you want to consume these drugs, it’s safest to just stick to one of them for the night. This way, you only need to deal with the physiological effects of either one rather than the two combined. 

2. Go slow

If you must consume both substances, knowing your limits and consuming slowly is important. “You can always take more, but you can never take less,” Lyter says. “Pick one to start with, and then if you really need to add another, do it slow.”

For example, she suggests starting with one drink and then one hit of weed rather than going all in with shots and a bong rip. Pace your consumption.

Additionally, you may want to avoid weed edibles since these may increase your risk of unpleasant symptoms, Lonano says. It may also be harder to know how and when the edible will affect you since it takes time to kick in. 

3. Avoid additional substances

If you’re mixing alcohol and weed, leave it at that. Lyter recommends avoiding other substances, even caffeine and nicotine. Even though these are legal, they can intensify unpleasant physiological reactions, like a racing heart, which might contribute to anxiety.

4. Stay hydrated and eat first

Tending to your physical health is important for harm reduction, Lyter says. Make sure you eat before you drink since drinking on an empty stomach makes blood alcohol level rise quickly and may result in more adverse effects. Stay hydrated, too, since alcohol causes dehydration. 

5. Arrange safe transportation

It isn’t safe to drive under the influence of alcohol or weed –– or both. If you know you’re going to be consuming these substances, arrange for safe transportation, Lonano says. Make sure you have a designated driver or a plan for getting a ride share.

6. Know when to seek help 

If your substance use is resulting in negative consequences or if you can’t seem to limit your consumption, it’s time to seek help, Lyter says. These could be indications that you’re dealing with a substance use disorder, such as alcohol use disorder (also known as alcohol addiction), cannabis use disorder (also known as cannabis or marijuana addiction), or both. Not to mention, these two substance use disorders commonly co-occur. 68% of people with cannabis use disorder also meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder). 

Lyter says some signs of a substance use disorder are:

• Being mentally preoccupied with the substance
• Having intense cravings for the substance
• Building a tolerance (needing to consume more to get the same effect)
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms after you stop consuming
• Inability to control drug use 
• Neglecting or not meeting responsibilities
• Engaging in risky behavior
• Instability and chaos within relationships
• Bad things happening as a result of your drug use 

How Charlie Health can help

Do you think you (or a loved one) might have a problem with alcohol and weed? If so, Charlie Health can help. Charlie Health’s virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) provides more than once-weekly mental health treatment for teens, young adults, and families dealing with complex mental health conditions, including substance use disorders like alcohol use disorder and cannabis use disorder.

Our compassionate clinicians meet you where you are on your recovery journey and create personalized treatment plans to help you heal. We incorporate evidence-based therapies into individual counseling, family therapy, and group sessions. With this kind of holistic treatment, overcoming substance use disorders is possible. Fill out the form below or give us a call to start healing today.