Are you ready to feel empowered and discover life beyond alcohol? Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance. Receive encouragement from people worldwide who know exactly what you’re going through! Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge. The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey.
Comparing the Potential of Misuse: Alcohol vs. Marijuana
It can also lower your inhibitions making you more likely to make riskier or rash decisions that can lead to an accident. Alcohol on the other hand can heavily impact your cognitive function. It can overall slow your reaction time and your general perception of time and distance which can increase your likelihood of getting into an accident. It’s possible over time the same may happen with cannabis? They did find that recreational sales did not increase crash rates as much as the initial legalization did.
Weed can impact your memory and in some severe cases cause or exacerbate schizophrenia or psychosis. Over time, it can temporarily decrease the prevalence of CB1 receptors which can cause memory issues but, overall, the compounds in cannabis including many of the terpenes can be neuroprotective. They both have a history of impairing judgment and can directly increase your chances of having an accident.
More research is needed, particularly studies in addiction and other at-risk populations. Cannabis and other sedating or psychoactive drugs may worsen falls and confusion, impair driving, increase workplace accidents, and cause respiratory suppression (with opioids) and prolonged sedation. THC also may increase heart rate and blood pressure and interact with beta-blockers, anti-arrhythmics, and stimulants. THC and especially CBD interfere with liver enzymes, which can raise or lower many medication levels, including anticoagulants (warfarin, increasing bleeding risk), antiepileptics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and opioids. THC beverages (for now) exhibit astonishing dose variability—from products with 2–5 mg THC to those containing 50–100 mg per serving. GLPs are so promising for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) that pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is investing in a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist drug.
A recent meta-analysis in Heart found that cannabis users face a 20% higher risk of stroke and twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes. Consuming cannabis is not risk-free. Public attitudes toward cannabis have shifted dramatically over the past decade, with some perceiving cannabis to be safer than alcohol. More Americans now use cannabis daily than drink alcohol every day. Reframe supports you in reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing your well-being. Although it isn’t a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), the Reframe app can help you cut back on drinking gradually with the science-backed knowledge to empower you 100% of the way.
That said, let’s explore another facet of alcohol and marijuana — their misuse. Some of these active compounds are mind-altering and have short-term and long-term effects on our body. Marijuana, also known as “weed,” refers to the different parts of the cannabis plant.
Health Conditions
Some people have replaced alcohol with cannabis for a buzz. It’s important to keep in mind, though that fewer studies are available about the harmful effects of marijuana, making the data inconclusive. However, alcohol consumption is much higher than cannabis use, which is one factor that can influence mortality rates. Although it may not be the answer we’d hoped for, there is no definitive conclusion as to whether alcohol or marijuana is worse for our health.
Variety of products
Additionally, compounds in cannabis can help prevent some diseases, stunt oxidative damage, and can also help prevent major conditions. While there are negative benefits, cannabis does have many medicinal benefits including treatment of pain, nausea, issues with eating or keeping down food, and can help treat anxiety and depression. However, is available necessarily a sign that it’s better for you? Many of the issues have to do with legality and preconceived judgment of cannabis.
However, experts say both cannabis and alcohol carry health risks that people are often unaware of. While it’s easy to compare the visible effects of alcohol and weed, there’s a lot more to consider when trying to determine which substance is more harmful. While the exact effects will vary from person to person, it’s clear that drinking alcohol opens the door to myriad lasting effects on our health. “It does seem that cannabis can help some people to reduce their alcohol consumption, but cannabis is by no means a ‘risk-free’ substitute for alcohol,” Karoly said. “We still don’t have sufficient data to fully understand the long-term effects of using cannabis as an alcohol substitute. This isn’t to suggest that cannabis drinks are more risky than alcohol, which has many unhealthy effects.
- Roughly 3 in 4 participants met the criteria for cannabis use disorder, and just under half (43%) had alcohol use disorder.
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- There’s a delay in when you feel edibles because it can take time for the THC to be absorbed into your bloodstream.
- Like the effects of alcohol, marijuana’s acute effects can linger in the days following its use.
- While there are negative benefits, cannabis does have many medicinal benefits including treatment of pain, nausea, issues with eating or keeping down food, and can help treat anxiety and depression.
Is Weed Safer Than Alcohol?
- Public attitudes toward cannabis have shifted dramatically over the past decade, with some perceiving cannabis to be safer than alcohol.
- Legalization does not remove the risk but it’s still significantly lower than confirmed alcohol-related deaths.
- There are countless cannabis products on the market and a number of consumption options, from vaping to edibles.
- Overall, cannabis use can be healthier and less addictive than alcohol use.
- While there can be the odd allergic reaction or bad interaction or even a child may inadvertently consume cannabis, there isn’t sufficient data to point towards any deaths caused by cannabis.
- Alcohol is highly addictive and some people can have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
There has long been speculation that cannabis legalization would reduce alcohol consumption. While the focus has been on Gen Z and millennials, more recently, some baby boomers are also switching to cannabis from alcohol, because of recent studies challenging decades of alcohol benefits and raising alarm over drinking. Major cannabis companies launched THC drink lines, promoting them as modern alternatives to alcohol and targeting consumers cutting back on drinking or who no longer drink at all. In states where hemp-derived THC is loosely regulated, consumption of THC beverages, including seltzers and “hemp elixirs,” has rapidly increased.
Speaking of, let’s examine the addictive tendencies of these substances. It affects gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which can cause relaxation but long term use of alcohol can affect your levels of GABA or glutamate in the nervous system. Both alcohol and cannabis should not be consumed when driving. It’s illegal to drive under the influence of cannabis or alcohol. The CDC even has a Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) application that tracks deaths caused by alcohol. This almost points to the importance of regulation so people can use standardized dosages to track their usage of cannabis.
How Many Deaths Are Caused By Driving High?
The researchers also acknowledged that the findings do not prove that cannabis use causes heart problems. “I’ve always wanted it decriminalized, but not legalized, because legalizing it gives the false impression that it’s safe,” D’Onofrio said. Multiple studies have found a link between daily cannabis use and heart problems.
Cannabis and Driving: How Big Is the Risk?
Legalization does not remove the risk but it’s still significantly lower than confirmed alcohol-related deaths. This post will elaborate on the impacts of alcohol vs. weed on your health, body, driving skills, fatality numbers, and the toll they can take on your life. While in the past people may have used alcohol as a pain reliever or to clean instruments it’s often considered, medically, more harmful than helpful. If you’re considering using cannabis for medical reasons, consider speaking with a licensed healthcare provider. In essence, while cannabis can lead to acute discomfort or psychological distress, it does not pose the same mortality risks as alcohol. While marijuana is not without its risks, its side effects are typically reversible and its therapeutic applications are increasingly supported by science.
Marijuana is becoming legal in more areas, which may explain the growth in use and positive impacts on our economy. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); that fact may be attributed in part to the high social acceptance of drinking. Alcohol and marijuana are both drugs that can cause dependence and lead to misuse. Hangover symptoms from weed frequently include brain fog, headache, and drowsiness. Although we may be looking for a clear-cut answer, the truth is, it’s a bit complicated. Alcohol and marijuana are two of the most commonly used drugs.
Cannabis vs. Alcohol: Both Come With Health Risks
By eliminating the smoking factor, it frees up many of the benefits of cannabis. Alcohol you can feel its effects within a shorter window and it can tend to last for less time. There’s a delay in when you feel edibles because it can take time for the THC to be absorbed into your bloodstream.
It’s important to note that when cannabis gets legalized many people may use cannabis semi-legally by consuming illegally purchased cannabis which can lead to them consuming more than standard dosages. One study examined these data points exploring when cannabis was legalized vs. when retail sales began. Thankfully, as more states legalize cannabis and recreational sales we can observe more data about the effect on death and accident rates. Even heavy marijuana abuse can at worst cause schizophrenia in people with a history of mental illness. Again, a cannabis overdose can cause increased nausea and vomiting but is not fatal.
How Addictive Is Alcohol Vs Weed?
Despite all the different factors that can influence whether alcohol or marijuana is considered more harmful, the bottom line is that they’re both harmful. Different facets of weed and alcohol make it difficult to compare the two. Although more research is needed, current findings suggest marijuana use has negative impacts on public safety. Like alcohol, marijuana is also highly accepted socially, which also makes it one of the most highly used illicit drugs. In addition to the toll on our economy, alcohol production also causes negative environmental impacts. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), substance misuse refers to continued use of a substance despite Weed vs booze impaired control, risky use, and substance-related problems.
Edibles do function differently than smoking or vaping cannabis. Over time, this can increase the toll it takes on your body. Chronic alcohol use can lead to liver diseases such as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis, gastritis and pancreatitis. Some compounds in cannabis have been found to be anticancer, antibiotic, and antifungal.
