CBD Has Potential To Treat Alcohol Use Disorder By Reducing Withdrawal Symptoms And Lowering Relapse Risk, Federally Funded Study Finds
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CBD appears to reduce symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and risk of relapse, while also providing neuroprotective effects, according to a new federally funded study published in the journal Nature.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego set out to investigate how the non-intoxicating cannabinoid might impact people with alcohol use disorder. And the findings of the mice-based study offers additional evidence that CBD could play a role in mitigating the health effects of alcohol use.
A total of 166 rats were included in the research. Two cohorts were intravenously administered doses of synthetic CBD (either 30 or 60 mg/kg), while another set of rodents were used as the control group.
Thirty minutes after the cannabinoid was administered, the researchers ran a series of tests that explored how the drug potentially attenuated the behavioral and neurobiological aspects of alcohol dependence.
They found that CBD was effective to that end by “modulating neuronal excitability and preventing neurodegeneration, supporting its therapeutic potential for AUD and providing mechanistic insights for future research.”
“The present study demonstrates that chronic administration of cannabidiol (CBD) attenuates both behavioral and neurobiological manifestations of alcohol dependence in rodent models,” the study says. “Specifically, CBD reduced alcohol intake and withdrawal symptoms, lowered relapse-like behaviors, normalized neuronal excitability in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and prevented alcohol-induced neurodegeneration in striatal regions associated with reward and habit formation.”
“Additionally, CBD did not potentiate alcohol’s sedative effects, as shown by no differences in loss of righting reflex duration or locomotor activity during alcohol intoxication, while increasing time spent in the open field’s center, indicating anxiolytic effects. These results underscore CBD’s potential therapeutic utility for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and provide mechanistic insights into its actions.”
The study received funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the University of California San Diego’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research and the University of California San Diego’s Preclinical Addiction Research Consortium.
Notably, the study authors said one of the “pivotal” findings of the research is that CBD “reversed alcohol-induced decreases in neuronal excitability in the BLA,” which is “central to alcohol withdrawal and dependence-related behaviors, and its dysregulation contributes to maladaptive processes that drive relapse.”
“In conclusion, chronic CBD administration mitigates key behavioral and neurobiological features of alcohol dependence by reducing withdrawal symptoms, lowering relapse risk, restoring BLA neuronal excitability, and preventing neurodegeneration in striatal regions. Together, these findings highlight CBD’s capacity to preserve functional integrity in neural circuits underlying emotional regulation, reward processing, and habit formation. Further translational research and clinical trials are warranted both to validate CBD’s therapeutic efficacy in human populations and to optimize dosing strategies for individuals with AUD.”
The findings are consistent with a growing body of research that signals CBD and other cannabinoids could help mitigate harms associated with alcohol use.
For example, researchers at the University of Sydney recently published a mice-based study showing that CBD reduces rates of binge drinking and alcohol blood concentrations.
Results of a separate study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry also indicated that a single, 800-milligram dose of CBD can help manage certain alcohol cravings among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), supporting the use of the marijuana component as a potential treatment option for problem drinkers.
Federally funded research into the effects of cannabis on alcohol use also found that people who used marijuana immediately before drinking subsequently consumed fewer alcoholic beverages and reported lower cravings for alcohol.
The study follows a separate survey analysis published in March that found that three in four young adults reported substituting cannabis for alcohol at least once per week—a “fast-emerging” trend that reflects the “rapid expansion” of the hemp product marketplace.
The report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) found that, across various demographics, cannabis is increasingly being used as an alternative to alcohol and even non-alcoholic beverages as more companies—including major multi-state marijuana operators (MSOs)—expand their offerings.
The findings were largely consist with a growing body of studies indicating that cannabis—whether federally legal hemp or still-prohibited marijuana—is being utilized as a substitute for many Americans amid the reform movement.
An earlier survey from YouGov, for example, found that a majority of Americans believe regular alcohol consumption is more harmful than regular marijuana use. Even so, more adults said they personally prefer drinking alcohol to consuming cannabis despite the health risks.
A separate poll released in January determined that more than half of marijuana consumers say they drink less alcohol, or none at all, after using cannabis.
Yet another survey—which was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and released in December—found that young adults are nearly three times more likely to use marijuana than alcohol on a daily or near-daily basis.
That poll provided more granular, age-specific findings than a similar report published last year, finding that more Americans overall smoke marijuana on a daily basis than drink alcohol every day—and that alcohol drinkers are more likely to say they would benefit from limiting their use than cannabis consumers are.
A separate study published in the journal Addiction last year similarly found that there are more U.S. adults who use marijuana daily than who drink alcohol every day.
In December, BI also published the results of a survey indicating that substitution of cannabis for alcohol is “soaring” as the state-level legalization movement expands and relative perceptions of harm shift. A significant portion of Americans also said in that poll that they substitute marijuana for cigarettes and painkillers.
Another BI analysis from last September projected that the expansion of the marijuana legalization movement will continue to post a “significant threat” to the alcohol industry, citing survey data that suggests more people are using cannabis as a substitute for alcoholic beverages such a beer and wine.
Yet another study on the impact of marijuana consumption on people’s use of other drugs that was released in December suggested that, for many, cannabis may act as a less-dangerous substitute, allowing people to reduce their intake of substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine and opioids like morphine.
A study out of Canada, where marijuana is federally legal, found that legalization was “associated with a decline in beer sales,” suggesting a substitution effect.
The analyses comport with other recent survey data that more broadly looked at American views on marijuana versus alcohol. For example, a Gallup survey found that respondents view cannabis as less harmful than alcohol, tobacco and nicotine vapes—and more adults now smoke cannabis than smoke cigarettes.
A separate survey released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and Morning Consult last June also found that Americans consider marijuana to be significantly less dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol and opioids—and they say cannabis is less addictive than each of those substances, as well as technology.
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