4 Ways CBD Can Help Reduce Your Drinking and Help Your Body Recover

Hangovers are the worst! Why do we drink?

• To relieve stress
• Ease social anxiety/generalized anxiety
• Addiction 
• To fall asleep  

If you have ever drunk for any of these reasons, keep reading. You may just find 4 great reasons to try CBD instead!

1. CBD Could Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety

How many times have you caught yourself saying, “It has been a long day, maybe I will have a drink,”? The day-to-day stresses of life can lead us to look for quick and easy ways to unwind. We are guilty of using one vice or other to help us get through the challenging moments. According to Alcohol.org, Americans spend over 3,000 dollars a year on after-work drinks. For some people, this after-work habit can turn into an unhealthy one. This is why so many CBD users will tell you it relieves their stress and has become their healthy vice.

In April 2020, Singlecare Team conducted a medically reviewed survey by KAREN BERGER, PHARM.D. The company surveyed 2,000 CBD users aged 18+. The survey results revealed that 49% of users turned to CBD for anxiety and stress relief, indicating that CBD could be a safer and healthier alternative stress reliever than alcohol. 

Let’s Compare the Effects of CBD and Alcohol 

We all know that alcohol can cause irregularities within the body, leading to horrible hangovers, health issues later in life, and addiction. The symptoms of a hangover indicate just how damaging alcohol can be to your body, including headaches, gastritis, nausea, and low blood sugar. Alcohol abuse can cause long-term damage to your organs and your brain.

On the contrary, CBD acts as a regulator inside the body. It does this by interacting with your endocannabinoid receptors that naturally respond to CBD, causing your body and mind to relax in a more natural and balanced way.

Next time you are thinking about finishing your day with an alcoholic beverage, consider a more balanced option. Try brewing yourself a “no stress CBD tea” instead.

2. CBD May Get You to Fall Asleep Quicker

According to the Anxiety and Depression Society of America:

 “More than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million report sleeping problems occasionally, according to the National Institutes of Health.”

Alcohol may help a person fall asleep, but alcohol will eventually cause irregularities in your sleep cycles resulting in more frequent sleep disruptions. This means you will have a poorer quality of sleep altogether. People have been turning to CBD oil for numerous years for assistance with sleep. Last year 42% of CBD users surveyed had used CBD to combat sleep disorders and insomnia. 

In 2011 Cannabis and Insomnia researchers found that cannabis helped patients fall asleep sooner. Depending on the dosage, several studies have indicated that CBD could be used to encourage sedation in patients suffering from sleep problems and other health issues.

If you are using alcohol to help you sleep, try replacing your nightcap with a few drops of  Enecta Premium Oil, with a CBD concentration diluted to 10%. This particular CBD oil is ideal for all those who want to reap the rewards of cannabidiol’s benefits. If you are unsure of what dosage you need, please microdose slowly over several weeks until you find your sweet spot.

3. Cannabinoids Could Reduce Cravings and Addictions

Although far more research is required, studies and reports have indicated that CBD is potentially beneficial in reducing cravings and assisting with addiction.

In 2017, every 1 in 8 Americans were classified as alcoholics. That is a scary statistic and one we should not take lightly. The good news is that CBD could help reduce alcohol cravings and help curb alcohol addiction. In a study of “Cannabidiol as an Intervention for Addictive Behaviors,” scientists found:

“CBD is an exogenous cannabinoid that acts on several neurotransmission systems involved in addiction... CBD has several therapeutic properties on its own that could indirectly be useful in the treatment of addiction disorders, such as its protective effect on stress vulnerability and neurotoxicity.”

Frequently individuals can experience cravings due to withdrawals. In 2018 studies were performed comparing the effects of CBD on rats and their addictive characteristics to alcohol. Some of the data suggested that CBD helped lower the rats’ consumption, prevented relapse, and reduced impulsiveness. Although more research is needed to confirm a complete scientific conclusion, this is a promising result for those suffering from addiction.

CBD will not cure all of your issues with unwanted cravings and addictions, but it may help make the road to recovery a little less painful. See our previous post on Addiction Recovery, and be sure to seek professional help if you feel like you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. 

4. CBD May Help Aid Recovery 

Headaches, nausea, pain, rapid heart rate; are all symptoms you may be familiar with if you have had a hangover. When looking to ease the pain of your hangover, CBD could be the answer. While CBD won’t magically cure a hangover, It could certainly reduce its symptoms. 

    

The Hangover Headache

Hangover headaches usually happen because your body has become dehydrated, and your blood vessels widen due to your intoxication. CBD is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, and these properties may help with blood flow and help to relieve pain. Data also suggests that consumers have also used CBD for migraine relief. 

Nausea

Another standard mark of a bad hangover is nausea. Gastritis is a symptom of the body's response to intoxication, and nausea may lead to vomiting. A study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, “The Regulation of Nausea and Vomiting by Cannabinoids,” discovered:

“There is some evidence that cannabis-based medicines may be effective in treating the more difficult to control symptoms of nausea and delayed nausea and vomiting…” 

“Hangxiety”

Finally, anxiety AKA “hangxiety,” is a symptom many people face after a night of overindulging. As stated above, CBD may help you with your unwanted feelings of distress and anxiety, especially ones triggered by a hangover. The horrible emotions of an unwanted hangover eventually pass after about 24 hours. While CBD cannot speed up time, it may help to treat the physical feelings anxiety can produce with your hangover.

Conclusion

Whether you are someone looking to cut back on your ‘after work drinks’, wanting to break an addiction, need assistance falling asleep, or are suffering from a severe hangover, CBD could be an option for you. Many users find the products transform their lives for the better.