With the constant holiday gatherings this season, the alcohol will definitely be flowing wherever you are. We enjoy a nice alcoholic drink here and there to help us unwind and let loose a little. However, this can become a problem for our health when it becomes too frequent. A glass of wine every night could seem like not so harmful but it can start to affect your health on a few different levels including disrupting sleep patterns and proper digestion, among others. So what are the key similarities and differences between CBD and alcohol?
In this article, we discuss the main reasons you will want to replace alcohol with CBD oil. We totally believe in everything in moderation as holistic nutritionists and that can certainly include alcohol, but why not also work to find other options that can even boost your health? That is why we really like CBD oil since it can offer a similar effect to alcohol without any of the negative consequences and even help you feel better than you did before.
1. CBD Oil is Good For You
Yes we know, a glass of red wine can be healthy for you due to the antioxidants it contains. That being said, this is not true for most other types of alcohol. Also, in all honesty, most people will not stop at one glass at a holiday party so we need to account for that too. It can be very easy to get carried away when you start feeling that pleasant buzz and all inhibitions go out the window.
However, CBD oil can also be a powerful antioxidant that can help you chill out similar to the effects of alcohol without the downsides, which we will mention later. It also offers the added benefit of protecting against cell damage resulting directly from alcohol ingestion. Further to this, CBD provides a healing effect on the body by being anti-inflammatory, whereas alcohol can be detrimental to inflammation within the body. We know that inflammation is at the root of most illnesses and so if we can control it then we can help to prevent a number of other health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, etc.
2. CBD Oil Reduces Social Anxiety
Another reason that the majority of us turn to alcohol at holiday parties is as a way of dealing with social anxiety. This includes the awkwardness that comes with mingling with people that we do not know that well like those random co-workers or distant family members. The only issue with alcohol here is that sometimes in an effort to reduce this social discomfort, we can overindulge and this can backfire when we start embarrassing ourselves.
The good news here is that CBD oil has also been shown to really help reduce social anxiety, much like alcohol, and even public speaking. It does this by changing the way the brain responds to stress and the blood flow to certain regions of the brain. This also goes on to include other types of anxiety as well, like panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The even better news is that CBD oil can do so without the possibility of going overboard as you can with alcohol, which we discuss further below.
3. CBD Oil Can Help You Avoid Weight Gain
The last thing we need around the holidays is more empty calories that will result in the inevitable dreaded weight gain. There are already enough temptations in the form of baked treats lying around the office at this time of year. We know that alcohol is notorious for being high in calories that really are of no benefit to us since they do not offer us any vital nutrients. It can even stimulate our appetite by throwing our blood sugar levels out of whack so we end up consuming more than we really need and packing on the extra pounds.
That being said, CBD oil actually has the completely opposite effect by helping to control our appetite and minimize food cravings. It does this by managing our blood sugar levels and balancing out our hormones. In particular, CBD oil acts on the hormones leptin and ghrelin which are responsible for our hunger signals and tell us when we are hungry or full so we can stop eating at the proper time. In addition, CBD oil helps to manage the hormones insulin and glucagon which prevents blood sugar spikes so that we can avoid reaching for empty calories.
4. CBD Oil Will Not Give You a Hangover
One major downside of alcohol that we are all probably way too familiar with is the devastating hangover. Sadly, the older we get the more difficult it can be to deal with the hangover and there is really no proven way to avoid it. A lot of the time the combination of sugar and alcohol is the perfect storm that leaves us feeling like a total wreck rendering us completely useless the next day following a late night out.
Luckily, CBD oil does not come with any kind of hangover and can even help you overcome it. In fact, you cannot overdose on CBD oil and even if you take more than you need you will not experience any side effects other than feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease than normal. Interestingly enough, CBD oil can also help you fight a nasty hangover by helping you handle some of those unpleasant symptoms like anxiety, nausea, headaches, and body pain. It can also improve your mental ability and put you in a better mood, thus allowing for a more bearable hangover experience. Finally, it can even work to reduce blood alcohol concentration along with addiction and withdrawal.
Do They Interact?
So what if you want to drink alcohol and take CBD oil together? This is a question that we have received from a few of you. The answer is that you can definitely use them together, but they might amplify the effects of each other so you just want to be careful with the dosage. If you take both in very high doses you can feel more sleepy and sedated. Otherwise, there are no harmful interactions between alcohol and CBD oil.
Ready to switch out alcohol with the healthier option of CBD oil? We suggest getting started with our APHRODITE product in the 10ml size. It comes in our smallest bottle size with a nutty hemp taste. If you prefer something without any flavour, THEIA could be a better option for you.
