Study: Marijuana and CBD Commonly Used to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Harmful Drinker
- The study found that marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) are commonly used by adults with harmful drinking patterns to reduce alcohol consumption.
- Among 451 surveyed Florida adults who drank at least five drinks weekly and had used cannabis, 37.9% used marijuana and 32.2% used CBD to cut down on alcohol.
- Higher severity of alcohol use correlated with greater likelihood of using marijuana and CBD as alcohol-reduction tools, especially among those with PTSD, childhood trauma, health conditions, and readiness to change drinking habits.
- The research highlights clinical and motivational factors associated with cannabis use for reducing alcohol harm, offering insights to inform future interventions.
A new study published in Substance Use & Misuse found that marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) were among the most commonly reported strategies for reducing alcohol consumption among adults with harmful drinking patterns.
The study, conducted by researchers from Florida Atlantic University, University of California San Diego, University of Central Florida and Old Dominion University, surveyed 451 Florida adults who drank at least five alcoholic drinks per week and reported lifetime cannabis use.
Among participants, 37.9% reported using marijuana to reduce alcohol consumption, while 32.2% reported using CBD for the same purpose. Researchers found that those with more severe alcohol use were more likely to view marijuana and CBD as effective alcohol-reduction tools.
High-risk drinking, defined as an Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test score of 16 or higher, was reported by 61.4% of males and 40.9% of females in the study. Higher alcohol risk was associated with younger age, more symptoms of depression and anxiety, greater childhood trauma scores, post-traumatic stress symptoms, more health conditions and greater readiness to change drinking behavior.
Factors linked to using marijuana for alcohol reduction included higher PTSD scores, more comorbid health conditions, action-stage readiness to change and higher alcohol-use severity. CBD use for alcohol reduction was more common among participants with higher childhood trauma scores, more health conditions, greater readiness to change their drinking and higher alcohol-use severity.
Researchers concluded that the findings help identify clinical and motivational factors tied to cannabis use for alcohol harm reduction, which could help guide future intervention development.