California Sober: Study Indicates Cannabis Could Help Cutting Down Drinking Consumption
Emerging research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry proposes that embracing a sober lifestyle involving cannabis method might significantly assist people lower their drink consumption.
The Study and Controlled Environment Setting
A team of Brown University carried out a novel experiment where volunteers received cannabis cigarettes to consume before visiting a specially designed “bar lab”.
- Participants had the option to consume up to eight mini alcoholic beverages.
- The experiment was repeated on three occasions with varying tetrahydrocannabinol levels: 7.2%, moderate potency, and a placebo marijuana.
Great care was taken to replicate a real-life bar environment, complete with low light and drinks on tap to ensure subject realism.
“Our goal was to ensure that when given the opportunity, you would be really driven to drink,” explained the principal investigator.
Key Findings and Effects on Drinking
Outcomes showed a marked decrease in alcohol intake after participants used cannabis:
- Drink consumption fell by nineteen percent after consuming 3.1% THC marijuana.
- Reduction was more significant with high-THC cannabis, leading to a twenty-seven percent reduction compared to the placebo.
Wider Trends and Future Research
Increased legal access has driven a significant rise in cannabis usage, which has increased twofold over the past decade.
At the same time, alcohol consumption is at a record low, with many turning to substitutes like weed.
Crucial to note that forty percent of trial subjects met the criteria for alcohol use disorder.
While marijuana might be a possible solution to heavy alcohol use, researchers caution that more study is needed.
“We’re not ready to tell people in treatment for drinking problems, ‘Go ahead and substitute marijuana, and it will be effective for you,’” a study author commented.
