When You Mix Marijuana and Alcohol

5 Consequences of Mixing Marijuana and Alcohol

Do you have a family member who drinks alcohol and smokes marijuana at the same time, or frequently? Have you tried combining marijuana and alcohol yourself? Both affect impairment, but when they’re mixed together, they can have unforeseen consequences to health and impairment. Here’s what’s known about the dangers. The interactions and consequent effects of mixing cannabis and alcohol are still being studied in depth, but there’s enough anecdotal knowledge out there for people to know what can happen to their systems. Below are five possible consequences of mixing alcohol with cannabis in a smoked form or an edible form.

Greening Out Is One Effect of Mixing Alcohol and Marijuana

The first possible outcome is what’s known in street slang as “greening out,” or the feeling of being sickened due to combined alcohol and cannabis use. Taking the two together may cause you to feel a stronger high, but this high may also come with unpleasant side effects like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, chills, anxiety, or a rapid heart rate.

Combining Marijuana and Alcohol Makes It Hard To Know How High You Are

Combining alcohol and cannabis may also result in a significant decrease in a person’s cognitive function, which governs their memory, their ability to process things, and their judgment about what they can and can’t do. As such, being under the influence of both substances at the same time may lead you to make risky decisions, like choosing to drive while still intoxicated or putting yourself in a situation where you or another person can get grievously injured.

Increased Risk of Inhalation Burns or Asthma

Smoking too much weed is seldom life-threatening on its own. But if you go past your limit due to mixing both cannabis and alcohol, you risk aftereffects like an acute inhalation injury in your nose or throat. If you’re prone to asthma, you might also increase your chances of getting a severe asthma attack.

Alcohol Poisoning In Another Risk Of Mixing Marijuana And Alcohol

Another consequence of not being able to ascertain your limit when combining alcohol and cannabis is a greater propensity to binge drink. This, in turn, makes you more vulnerable to getting alcohol poisoning, or ingesting a toxic amount of the substance.

On the outset, alcohol poisoning can manifest like greening out, but it’s distinguishable by additional symptoms like loss of coordination, irregular or labored breathing, hypothermia, and loss of consciousness. If you suspect that you’ve gotten alcohol poisoning after pairing alcohol with cannabis, the best course of action is to seek immediate medical treatment and either call an ambulance or head to the emergency room.

Becoming Dependent on Either Cannabis or Alcohol After Frequent Crossfading

Lastly, in the long term, frequent crossfading can increase your dependence on alcohol, cannabis, or both substances at the same time. There’s a chance that your body will develop a tolerance for either substance and that you’ll need more of it to achieve the same high, and that your frequent usage of either substance will affect your overall health, well-being, and relationships. first published here