Delta-9 and Alcohol

Alcohol and cannabis have both been around for many thousands of years, so it’s safe to assume that at some point between back then and now, somebody had the bright idea of mixing the two. We’d be lying if we said we hadn’t thought of doing the same. After all, cannabis and alcohol can both be enjoyed in moderation, and if we mix them together, it’s double the fun, right? Well, although some people might enjoy the feeling of mixing Delta-9 with alcohol, there are some things that you need to know about doing this, things they didn’t know back then. For those who are confused, when we say Delta-9, we are talking about THC, specifically Delta-9 THC, which happens to be the most common and abundant form of THC found in cannabis, the stuff that gets you high. The reason we’re making the distinction is that federally, in the USA, Delta-9 THC is not legal. However, cannabinoids derived from hemp plants with less than 0.3% THC are legal, which means that some other forms of THC, such as Delta-8, are technically legal, or at least not illegal, on a federal level. However, on a state level, there are quite a few States that have legalized all or most forms of THC for medicinal and recreational use, and yes, this includes Delta-9 THC. In those States where Delta-9 is now legal, more and more people have easy access to good old weed, but this means that more people are also mixing weed and alcohol. Alcohol has been legal for a very long time, but weed is just getting there (at least in some States) so people are understandably excited and looking to try all sorts of new things. So, what happens when you mix Delta-9 THC and alcohol? What will you feel? Is it safe? Let’s find out.

Alcohol and Weed: What Happens When You Mix?

There are a few things that you need to know about what happens when you mix alcohol and weed, so let’s start with how your body processes the two.

Weed Before Alcohol vs. Alcohol Before Weed

If you consume weed before alcohol, it may slow down the uptake of the alcohol in your body. This would result in it taking longer for you to feel drunk. This may seem like a good thing, but if it takes you longer to feel drunk, you are more likely to drink larger quantities, therefore running the risk of you over-consuming alcohol, possibly to the point where it may have negative consequences. However, research on this front is somewhat limited, with much more still needing to be performed. If we are talking about consuming alcohol before weed, the story is fairly similar. The liver metabolizes alcohol before everything else, so if you drink a lot, your liver is going to immediately start processing it. It won’t try to process anything else until the alcohol is gone. So, if you smoke or vape weed, which gets absorbed into the blood through the lungs, that THC is going to stay in your blood at peak levels until the liver has finished metabolizing the alcohol. In other words, it is shown that drinking alcohol before consuming weed results in higher peak THC levels in the blood for longer periods, quite simply because that THC has nowhere to go until the alcohol has been metabolized. Let’s move on and figure out exactly what this all means.

It Can Make the High Stronger and Longer

As you can probably tell, drinking alcohol before smoking weed seems to be a much bigger deal than doing so the other way around. If you smoke before you drink, it can make it take a bit longer for you to feel as drunk as you usually would when you consume that specific amount of alcohol. However, when you drink before you smoke, it can make that high last much longer and be much stronger for the duration of it. If all of that THC is sitting in your bloodstream and it has nowhere to go because the liver is still working on processing the alcohol, then you’re going to feel the full effects of every last milligram of THC in your bloodstream until it can be processed by the liver. If you like feeling very high for a long amount of time, and you want to get the most bang for your buck out of your bud, then having a beer or two before smoking or vaping could be the solution.

It Can Lead to Some Nasty Side Effects – Greening Out

If you aren’t accustomed to having a whole lot of THC in your blood for a long time, and you aren’t used to how high it’s making you feel, you might start feeling other side effects, with paranoia and general uneasiness being at the forefront. However, if you consumed too much of both booze and weed, especially if the booze came first and it’s making you feel extremely high, you could green out. Greening out is the term used to describe what it feels like when a person is too high and has too much THC in their system. Greening out can include feeling nauseous, hot, sweaty, dizzy, vomiting, headache, and other related symptoms. If you drank alcohol and the THC isn’t being processed by your body until the alcohol has been processed, and you keep smoking and smoking, that THC will have nowhere to go, and it could very well cause you to green out. No, it won’t kill you, but you certainly won’t feel good either. If we’re talking about smoking before drinking, because it can make it take longer for you to feel drunk, you may end up drinking too much, which can then lead to some pretty serious consequences such as alcohol poisoning and a trip to the hospital, or at the very least, a really bad hangover.

It Can Lead to You Consuming More of Both

Whether we are talking about consuming weed before alcohol or alcohol before weed, mixing the two can result in you consuming more of one or both, which in itself can have some serious consequences, both in the short and long term.

Delta-9 Gummies and Alcohol

Consuming edibles together with weed, such as Delta-9 gummies, is a whole different story. As you probably know, edibles generally result in the strongest and the longest-lasting high. First, alcohol is shown to widen the blood vessels in your digestive tract, which means that they can absorb larger quantities of substances much faster, which includes THC. So, if you drink, it’s going to make your body absorb more of the THC from the edibles much faster, therefore making you feel super high. However, there is more to it than that, because when you consume THC in the form of edibles, your liver converts THC to 11-Hydroxy-THC, which is about nine times stronger than regular THC, which is why edibles produce such a strong high. Now, consider the facts discussed above, that your body isn’t going to process the THC until the alcohol has been metabolized, thus resulting in massive peak THC levels in your blood, or in this case, peak levels of 11-Hydroxy-THC. Simply put, mixing alcohol with edibles is going to result in one of the strongest and longest-lasting highs you have ever felt, and this does also increase the chances of any of those bad side effects occurring. It’s not like it will kill you, but if you over-consume edibles and alcohol together, you’re certainly going to feel it. If this is something you do want to try, make sure to consume both in moderation. Small quantities will do just fine. While it is considered virtually impossible to overdose on cannabinoids, it is possible to overdose on alcohol without realizing you have.

Is it Safe to Vape Delta-9 Just After Drinking Beer?

Ok, so as we have established by now, vaping a couple of hits of Delta-9 THC after having a beer isn’t going to kill you. Moreover, there is a difference between a single beer and a bottle of vodka. It’s not going to take your liver overly long to process the alcohol from a single beer, and a few hits off a vape won’t put a massive amount of THC in your system either, so this really should be fine. As you can probably tell, a lot of what we are talking about today has to do with quantity. A single beer isn’t the same as a bottle of vodka and taking a couple of hits off your vape isn’t the same as vaping the entire two-gram cartridge. However, if you start to overconsume both, then there are certain risks or side effects to consider, ones that can be dangerous given the right circumstances. So, hitting your vape after drinking a beer is in itself safe, but there are some things to consider here.

Poor Judgment

If you get extremely high and drunk at the same time, it can certainly impair your judgment. It is shown that when alcohol and weed are mixed, it can result in sensation-seeking behavior. In other words, you’re likelier to make bad decisions when the two are mixed.

Cognitive Function

Not only are you likelier to make bad choices when you consume both substances together, but you’re also going to take longer to make decisions in the first place. Consuming both alcohol and weed leads to reduced cognitive function, which includes memory, decision-making, problem-solving, and more. In layman’s terms, you’re going to be far too intoxicated to function properly. This also applies to functions like driving. Yes, both alcohol and weed impair your ability to drive a vehicle, but when taken together, driving appears to become nearly impossible altogether.

Dependency

Some studies support the claims that consuming both alcohol and cannabis together can lead to the overconsumption of one or both, which over the long run could lead to serious alcohol or cannabis dependency. There is also evidence that shows that people who take both together are more likely to drink more often than if only one substance were consumed at a time. With long-term use, there is then also the risk of developing serious physical side effects associated with overuse and dependency. Drinking or smoking too much can affect your internal organs and more.

Possible Mental Health Problems

There is research that shows that frequent and heavy alcohol use can lead to poor mental health. At the same time, it is shown that very frequent and heavy cannabis use may accelerate the onset of various mental health issues and psychiatric illnesses. Therefore, if both are taken together regularly, it is safe to assume that these effects affecting mental health can combine and amplify each other.

Where to Buy Delta-9 Gummies

If you are looking for some awesome Delta-9 Gummies, then right here at Botany Farms is the best place for you to be. If you want to go easy, then these Microdose Gummies are something we’d recommend. They have 5 mg of Delta-9 and 5 mg of CBD per gummy, with a total of 10 gummies per pack. If you want something a bit stronger, here we have Delta-9 THC Gummies with 10 mg of THC and 14 mg of CBD per gummy, with a total of 15 gummies per pack. Thanks for stopping by! Why not check out some of our premium Delta 9 THC products: