What Happens When You Smoke Weed and Drink Beer at the Same Time

When it comes to recreational substances, the two most common ones are weed and beer. People know about using both of them separately, but what will happen if you use them together? If you use both of these items, it is vital to educate yourself on a few essential things.

What Are the Effects of Consuming Cannabis and Beer?
When a person consumes both weed and alcohol, also known as crossfading, people tend to feel the effects of one or both of these substances faster than they would typically experience. Cannabis has the power to impact the brain, especially the areas where pleasure, thinking, sensory, memory and time are processed. On the other hand, the alcoholic properties of beer work as a depressant with the power to control the central nervous system.

Both alcohol and the THC component in cannabis have psychoactive effects. This is because THC has the power to control the cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which is why the cognitive function gets the most impact when a person is high. On the other hand, alcohol can bring impairment to a person's motor skills because of how it interacts with the central nervous system.

When people smoke weed while drinking beer, blood tests show that they tend to have higher levels of THC in their blood compared to people who do not drink while they smoke. This is because the alcoholic content of beer widens the blood vessels, which allows THC to be absorbed much quicker.

While there are users that report that drinking while smoking can give a higher high, it can also amplify the adverse effects of smoking cannabis. Some of the symptoms that get intensified are anxiety, breathing problems, headaches, impaired judgment, increased heart rate, increased appetite, hallucinations, memory problems, nausea and paranoia.

What Are the Risks of Consuming Both Beer and Weed?
Alcohol and marijuana can both create unpredictable behaviors, which can be more of a mess if you think of combining them. When you think about how much faster you can absorb the psychoactive components of marijuana because of beer, this combination opens the doors for exposure to extreme cerebral symptoms.

Additionally, too much alcohol in your body can lead to you losing your memories for a particular set of time, or it can also lead to blacking out. It would help if you also considered the power of tolerance and addiction, that when you consume both of these substances regularly, you open yourself to the risk of developing a dependence on one or both of these substances.

If you drink alcohol before smoking your favorite cannabis strain, you heighten the risk of experiencing anxiety, panic, paranoia and other symptoms. But if you take cannabis before drinking alcohol, you may become less aware of your surroundings and have a problem controlling how much you have already drunk, thus, increasing the chances of getting alcohol poisoning.

Most people smoke marijuana for medical purposes but with the rise in demand, around 52 million Americans are expected to consume cannabis by the end of 2022.

What is “Greening Out?”
One of the first terms you will be exposed to when looking at mixing beer and marijuana is the term 'greening out.' This problem can occur with using cannabis solely, but the chances of this happening when doing an intoxication combo is likely to happen.

Basically, greening out can be defined as smoking cannabis and feeling sick afterward. This problem is usually exhibited by being too sweaty, vomiting and getting the spins.

Is Overdosing Possible When Drinking Beer and Smoking Weed?
If you look at the effects of both substances, greening out in cannabis is not really going to be something that will endanger your life. However, drinking too much beer can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal.

The risk for poisoning becomes even higher whenever you smoke weed, as it will make it even harder for to vomit. You might not think of it this way, but vomiting is helpful to your body. This is because vomiting allows you to get rid of the extra alcohol content that is present in your body.

Other Things You Should Consider
Aside from the mixing of the substances themselves, you should also consider these variables and answer these questions as well.

1. Are you currently taking medication?
2. What is the type of alcohol you want to consume and how strong is it?
3. What is your current tolerance for weed and beer?
4. Do you smoke or vape cannabis?
5. Do you consume cannabis edibles?
6. How long is the interval between consuming cannabis and beer?
7. Do you also smoke tobacco and drink substances high in caffeine like tea or coffee?

Final Thoughts
Consuming beer and weed at the same time can make you feel either more or less intoxicated instead of using one at a time. The safest bet is to avoid using both at once. Lastly, if you are taking medication, remember to consult your doctor first before you use alcohol, weed or both of them.