Heavy drinkers cut alcohol use by nearly 30% after adopting one new habit, study finds

Certain radical who usage cannabis thin to portion little alcohol, a caller survey found.

Researchers from Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies acceptable retired to find whether cannabis usage has an effect connected intoxicant craving and depletion — specifically, whether smoking marijuana tin trim intoxicant usage successful dense drinkers.

The randomized, controlled survey included 157 adults betwixt the ages of 21 and 44 who reported dense drinking and regular cannabis usage (at slightest bi-weekly). 

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Each subordinate completed 3 two-hour "lab sessions" with antithetic types of cannabis use. They received 1 of 2 levels of THC oregon a placebo, and past were fixed the prime to portion intoxicant oregon judge a currency payment.

Those who smoked cannabis with the higher level of THC (7.2%) consumed astir 27% little intoxicant than those who smoked a placebo. They besides reported an contiguous simplification successful the impulse to drink.

Those who smoked cannabis with the higher level of THC (7.2%) consumed astir 27% little intoxicant than those who smoked a placebo. (iStock)

Participants who smoked cannabis with 3.1% THC smoked astir 19% little alcohol.

"In our controlled barroom laboratory study, aft radical smoked cannabis, they drank astir a 4th little intoxicant implicit the adjacent 2 hours," pb survey writer Jane Metrik, Ph.D., prof of behavioral and societal sciences astatine Brown’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, told Fox News Digital.

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Cannabis had mixed effects connected intoxicant cravings, the researchers reported.

"We recovered a important alteration successful intoxicant impulse instantly aft smoking cannabis, but not a accordant effect connected a antithetic measurement of intoxicant craving," Metrik said. "This suggests that cannabis whitethorn not exert a azygous effect connected intoxicant motivation, and that different mechanisms whitethorn besides explicate however cannabis impacts consequent intoxicant use."

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The study, which was funded by the National Institute connected Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, was published past period successful the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Risks and limitations

The survey did person limitations, the researchers acknowledged.

"The survey tested lone 1 cannabinoid (THC) successful smoked cannabis, which means the results whitethorn not generalize to the wide scope of cannabis products, formulations and different cannabinoids," Metrik told Fox News Digital. "The survey illustration besides consisted of individuals who utilized cannabis astir each day, truthful those who usage cannabis little often whitethorn amusement antithetic alcohol-related behaviors."

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The researchers besides did not look astatine the effects of utilizing cannabis and intoxicant astatine the aforesaid time.

As the probe was short-term and conducted successful a "lab" setting, it’s unclear whether the reduced intoxicant usage would proceed successful the longer word oregon successful real-world settings, they noted.

"In our controlled barroom laboratory study, aft radical smoked cannabis, they drank astir a 4th little intoxicant implicit the adjacent 2 hours," the pb researcher said. (iStock)

The survey results bash not warrant recommending cannabis arsenic a substitute for intoxicant among radical with alcohol-use disorder, the researchers stated, arsenic the semipermanent wellness effects and addiction risks for cannabis stay uncertain.

"It is important to recognize that cannabis’ interaction varies substantially crossed individuals," Mitek said, noting that portion the substance whitethorn trim drinking successful the abbreviated term, it besides presents its ain risks.

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"Our survey is simply a archetypal step, and we request much semipermanent probe earlier drafting conclusions for nationalist health," she said. "We bash not person wide grounds of semipermanent information and efficacy of utilizing cannabis arsenic intoxicant treatment. For now, I would not urge utilizing cannabis to chopped down connected intoxicant use."

For radical who are already substituting cannabis for alcohol, Mitek recommends that they intimately show their usage and beryllium alert of the hazard of cannabis usage disorder. She besides "strongly encourages" them to see evidence-based intoxicant treatments.

Experts measurement in

Marcel Bonn-Miller, Ph.D., a cannabis researcher with Ajna BioSciences successful Colorado, noted that the survey highlights the existent marketplace trends, which amusement that intoxicant income person decreased importantly arsenic THC has go much accessible. 

"In our controlled barroom laboratory study, aft radical smoked cannabis, they drank astir a 4th little intoxicant implicit the adjacent 2 hours."

"As galore consumers study utilizing THC beverages and different non-inhaled methods of medication arsenic alternatives to alcohol, it would beryllium important for aboriginal objective trials to find the effect of these formats connected intoxicant usage behaviour implicit time," the researcher, who was not progressive successful the study, told Fox News Digital.

Riana Durrett, manager of the Cannabis Policy Institute astatine the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, praised the study’s "rigorous" design.

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"Overall, the experimental plan is simply a uncommon diagnostic successful this country of probe due to the fact that it tin beryllium logistically hard to springiness radical cannabis successful the laboratory (given its national Schedule I status), truthful this is simply a truly unsocial study," Durrett, who was besides not progressive successful the study, told Fox News Digital.

The results align with the "California sober" trend, wherever smoking cannabis whitethorn beryllium a mode to trim different substance use, she noted.

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While immoderate individuals person reported that cannabis has helped them retrieve from different substance usage disorders, the effect hasn’t been tested extensively, according to Durrett.

While the survey infers cannabis usage does alteration intoxicant usage successful a azygous session, the semipermanent effects of cannabis usage connected intoxicant depletion are unknown. (iStock)

The adept agreed that portion the survey infers cannabis usage does alteration intoxicant usage successful a azygous session, determination are immoderate unknowns, including the semipermanent effects of cannabis usage connected intoxicant consumption.

"So, it is inactive imaginable that successful the longer term, cannabis usage whitethorn beryllium harmful for drinking outcomes," she said. "We besides don't cognize the nett effect of swapping retired 1 substance (such arsenic alcohol) for different (such arsenic cannabis)." 

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"It mightiness beryllium casual to judge that utilizing cannabis alternatively of intoxicant is simply a win, but we truly don't cognize if that is existent oregon not from the existent research."

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Durrett added, "Hopefully, this survey and akin ones tin adhd tools to our toolkit connected however to trim occupation drinking."

Mitek noted that further probe is needed to measure "clinically applicable intoxicant outcomes," peculiarly among radical who are seeking attraction for alcohol-use disorder.