I Used CBD To Quit Drinking. Here’s What Happened…
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make. For the past 10 years, I was an alcoholic. My addiction was one that got me 86’d from clubs at times, cause friendship breakups, and cause me to gain weight at an alarming rate.
It wasn’t like I didn’t try to quit before. I’d stop drinking for a while, then something would happen in my life and I’d turn to the bottle again. I didn’t really have a better outlet to cope with stress. My most recent drunken escapade almost cost me my relationship, so I decided to give it a change.
I decided that it was time to make a change, and I was willing to give the canna-boom a try. After all, cannabis has been known to help heroin addicts quit the needle, why not make it work for alcohol?
What Is CBD?
CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is the new hot thing. It’s the second largest compound in cannabis, short of THC. Unlike THC, CBD is 100 percent legal and doesn’t cause a psychoactive high. It’s more of a “body high” that’s associated with relaxation, reduced cortisol, and fewer aches and pains.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have been noticing an uptick in CBD products being touted online. It seems like everyone and their grandma has a CBD brand. It’s been used for arthritis, for anxiety, for dieting, as well as a million other things. It’s even used as an ingredient in pet treats.
I’d heard a lot of news about cannabis users who were able to treat addictions. Honestly, I wanted to switch to pot for my drinking habit. Life had other ideas, though.
In New Jersey, where I live, medical marijuana isn’t easy to come by. Getting a medical card alone can take months of doctors’ visits, and I’m just not down for that kind of hassle. So, I decided to try CBD.
How I Took It
The cool thing about CBD is that it can be used in a variety of ways. Not really knowing what would work for me, I tried a wide range. I tried CBD brownies, CBD sodas, CBD syrup, CBD vapes, and yes, CBD tinctures. If it had CBD in it, I bought it up and started to use it.
Generally speaking, I didn’t really buy items that didn’t have a high dosage. I was concerned about using a high dosage because alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be very difficult to handle.
How I Quit Drinking
Before I fully quit, I started to taper off my drinking day after day. My typical habit was a bottle of beer to a bottle of wine per day. If I were to go fully cold turkey, I was susceptible to delirium tremems, which was a withdrawal symptom tied to seizures, disorientation, and death. I had to do it slowly at first.
Delirium tremens usually happens the first week, with acute withdrawal symptoms persisting for as much as three months. During the first week, I would drink a single glass of wine daily for the first three days. Then the amount dropped to a half-glass of beer for the next 11 days. Then, after two weeks, it went to zero.
While my body took to the reduced alcohol, I started to ramp up the CBD use. I started pouring CBD syrup and CBD isolate in my hookah shisha. I ate brownies and drank CBD sodas to help me knock out at night. I even started carrying a spray that is made of 99.9 percent CBD.
Here’s What I Noticed...
The first thing I noticed is that CBD-infused shisha is a way thicker and more calming smoke than my typical morning hookah sesh. Since I usually wake up anxious due to the withdrawals, it’s been a major blessing. The same can be said about the CBD spray, which helps me avoid grouchiness.
I won’t say that CBD cured my withdrawal symptoms, but they definitely alleviated a lot of the problems I had. I crave drinks less, I feel less anxious, and I also don’t have as much lethargy as I typically do.
Oddly enough, the CBD also helped curb the sugar cravings I get. It’s definitely a win-win.
Would I Advise This Route?
I can’t speak for everyone, and I’m not a doctor, but I definitely do feel like CBD helped me drop the bottle. Overall, I feel better while I’m working on improving my health and stopping my drinking cravings. If it worked for me, it might work for you as well.
That being said, I definitely took a risk when it came to quitting drinking solo. Delirium tremens can kill you if you are unlucky, and it’s best for long-term drinkers to ask a doctor for help while they end their habit. After all, you can never be too safe.
Cover image via Wall Street Journal