{"id":50320,"date":"2020-03-04T18:34:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T18:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/weed-101-what-happens-when-you-mix-marijuana-with-alcohol\/"},"modified":"2020-03-04T18:34:48","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T18:34:48","slug":"weed-101-what-happens-when-you-mix-marijuana-with-alcohol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/health\/weed-101-what-happens-when-you-mix-marijuana-with-alcohol\/","title":{"rendered":"Weed 101: What Happens When You Mix Marijuana with Alcohol?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of you reading this might love <\/em>chasing shots of Patron with a few puffs of pot. And we don\u2019t blame you. Combining booze with buds can make for an awesome experience, so long as it\u2019s done responsibly.<\/p>\n

But given alcohol\u2019s toxicity and cannabis\u2019s penchant for, uh, clouding the mind, is it ever a good idea to mix these two party favors? And what are the short- and long-term effects of doing so, besides getting lit AF?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever cross-faded, or combined alcohol with cannabis, then you know what happens next: The feel-good fizziness of alcohol combines with the hazy half-lidded effects from the weed. For some folks, this means passing out, only to awaken with a wicked hangover and an even wickeder case of the munchies. For others, this means getting absolutely wrecked without a care in the world. Still others may ride somewhere between these two extremes.<\/p>\n

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The Short-Term Effects of Consuming Bud and Booze<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Alrighty, it\u2019s nerd time.<\/p>\n

When someone imbibes alcohol, a bunch of it enters the bloodstream after passing through the digestive system. Once these little alcohol molecules hit the nervous system, the brain starts pumping out a chemical called GABA<\/u><\/a>. GABA reduces, or slows, our brain\u2019s signals through the body. That\u2019s why people feel numb and lose balance and muscle strength when they\u2019re drunk. And GABA release also stimulates dopamine<\/u><\/a> release, which is how a few shots at the bar gives us those feel-good vibes (at first, anyway).<\/p>\n

When someone consumes cannabis, THC, cannabinoids, and terpenes enter the blood, too. THC<\/u><\/a> hits the nervous system\u2019s CB receptors<\/u><\/a>, which also ends up releasing dopamine<\/u><\/a>. So, when you combine booze and buds, you\u2019re doubling up on the dopamine<\/u><\/a> release (and the release of other neurotransmitters<\/u><\/a> like serotonin, but we won\u2019t get into that here). Hence, you get doubly fucked up.<\/p>\n