Most of us enjoy a drink, whether we are relaxing after a busy work day or socialising with friends, alcohol makes us feel at ease and society, for the most part, endorses it.

What alcohol actually does in the body is to act as a central nervous system depressant, which despite feeling good, ultimately stresses the body. Over time, too much alcohol creates other stresses; weight gain, liver toxicity, digestive problems and punishing hangovers.

Overindulgence in alcohol affects us adversely, but giving up is notoriously hard to do. Luckily, CBD has been shown to help with addictive and compulsive tendencies and has attributes which support sobriety. We’ve put together seven ways CBD can help when you are giving up or moderating alcohol consumption.

CBD Outperforms Alcohol

When we use alcohol to relieve stress or anxiety it works in the short term by depressing the response ability of the central nervous system. Unfortunately when the alcohol wears off the stress levels rebound. CBD acts differently, modulating the endocannabinoid system (ECS) which is the body’s regulating system controlling stress, pain, mood etc. So where alcohol can be seen as a sedative action CBD stimulates a stabilising action, restoring balance and relieving stress.

Better Sleep

Alcohol use often leads to sleep issues, from bladder issues to insomnia and nausea. CBD works well as a sleep aid when anxiety or overactive mind are the problem. A broad spectrum CBD product will give extra support, particularly with CBN included, a cannabinoid many favor as a sleep aid.

CBD supports Gut and Brain Health

Anybody who has ever had a few drinks too many, knows first hand how the brain and the gut suffer from overindulgence. The brain suffers impairment from excessive alcohol, memory loss is a common complaint along with hangover headaches which are caused by dehydration, inflammation and the buildup of toxins in the brain. CBD however doesn’t have a painful after effect, but it does support cognitive function and will alleviate hangover symptoms in the brain by reducing inflammation and restoring cellular balance.

The gut has a similar relationship to alcohol and CBD, where alcohol can disrupt and inflame the digestion CBD restores balance and relieves inflammation.

Pain Relief

As alcohol depresses the central nervous system it has the ability to relieve pain, and is often used for muscular pain, backache and the dreaded toothache. However, drinking for pain relief is not recommended for the obvious reason of intoxication, which renders normal activities suspended. CBD however will work on inflammation and relieve pain without affecting cognition or emotional control.

CBD for Addiction

Alcohol is addictive, not to everybody, but an addiction to alcohol will create serious health issues. CBD on the other hand is non-addictive and clinical research has proved it has anti-addictive capabilities with both alcohol and narcotic addictions. A 2024 clinical trial showed CBD radically reduced alcohol cravings in AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder) subjects due to anti-addictive, anti-compulsive Stress- relieving actions.

CBD for Socializing

One of the most common complaints about sobriety is experiencing social awkwardness without Dutch Courage.

The good news is that CBD is extremely effective for creating a stress free and enjoyable social event without drinking. A CBD mocktail is the easy way to enjoy sobriety; create an ambient sense of wellbeing with sparkling water and a few drops of bitters and CBD tincture that will last all evening. Or try a CBD-rich cookie or gummy for relaxation or socialising. Vape pens are very useful for quick relief as the effect is felt almost immediately. Vaping a blend of CBD and THC can be particularly helpful and relaxing, a 1:1 ratio or 4:1 or 8:1 are what we usually recommend for this kind of situation, where compulsion needs to be replaced with contentment!

One of the most unique aspects of cannabis is the overlap between medicinal and recreational value. CBD relieves anxiety which is perhaps why substituting CBD for alcohol works so well. If only all medicine felt so good!

Sources:

Acute cannabidiol administration reduces alcohol craving and cue-induced nucleus accumbens activation in individuals with alcohol use disorder https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39668256/

Cannabidiol alters psychophysiological, craving and anxiety responses in an alcohol cue reactivity task: A cross-over randomize controlled trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39891614/