Alcohol and cannabis have been around for thousands of years, so it’s safe to assume that at some point (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 things you need to know about doing this. For the less informed, when we say Delta-9, we refer to 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, 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, at the federal level.
However, at the state level, a few have legalized all or most forms of THC for medicinal and recreational use, and this includes Delta-9 THC. In states where Delta-9 is legal, more people have easy access to good old weed, but this means that more are also mixing weed and alcohol.
Alcohol has been legal for a 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 makes you take longer to feel drunk, which may seem like a good thing. But if it takes you longer to feel drunk, you are likely to drink more, thereby running the risk of overconsuming alcohol.
If you consume alcohol before weed, the story is fairly similar. The liver metabolizes alcohol before everything else, so 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, drinking alcohol before consuming weed results in higher peak THC levels in the blood for longer periods, quite simply because THC has nowhere to go until the alcohol has been metabolized.
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 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. That THC sits in your bloodstream with nowhere to go because the liver is still processing the alcohol. As a result, you feel the full effects of every milligram of THC in your bloodstream until it is processed by the liver.
If you like feeling very high for a long period 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 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 makes you feel, you might start feeling other side effects, with paranoia and general uneasiness being at the forefront.
However, if you consume too much of both, especially if the booze comes 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, headaches, and other related symptoms. If you keep smoking with alcohol in your system, that THC will have nowhere to go, and it could very well cause you to green out. Luckily, it won’t kill you, but you certainly won’t feel good either.
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 you absorb larger quantities of substances, including THC.
So, if you drink, your body absorbs more THC from the edibles much faster, making you super high. However, there is more to it than that. 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, since your body isn’t processing the THC until the alcohol has been metabolized, this results in massive peak THC levels in your blood, or 11-hydroxy-THC. Simply put, mixing alcohol with edibles creates the strongest and longest-lasting highs you have ever felt. This also increases the risk of negative side effects.
To be safe, consume both in moderation. With Delta 9 drinks, edibles, and vaping, small quantities will do just fine. While it is considered virtually impossible to overdose on cannabinoids, it is possible to overdose on alcohol.
Is it Safe to Vape Delta-9 Just After Drinking Beer?
Ok, a couple of hits of Delta-9 THC after a beer won't kill you. Moreover, there is a difference between a single beer and a bottle of vodka. It doesn't 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.
Much of what we are talking about focuses on 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. These 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.
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 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 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 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, Botany Farms is the best place for you. 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, for 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, for a total of 15 gummies per pack.
