The bad outcomes of alcohol use and abuse are familiar to most people. They range from hangovers and blackouts to more serious effects like addiction, liver and heart damage, and spousal abuse. And let us not forget the tens of thousands of people who are injured or killed by drunk drivers every year.
People, especially younger people, are getting the message.
How do younger generations feel about alcohol?
Although college-aged 20-somethings make a lot of headlines with reports of excessive drinking at campus keggers, Mardi Gras bacchanalias and Spring Break, more and more sober-minded young adults are interested in reducing their alcohol consumption.
Oh sure, they still want to get high and party on. But not at the expense of their health. That’s why these Millennials and older Gen Z-ers are looking for alternatives.
Well, look no further. If you have to reduce the harms caused by alcohol, then you might want to turn to a safer substance: cannabis.
Is cannabis safer than alcohol?
In study after study, smoking pot has been found to be much less dangerous to one’s health than drinking alcohol. Just think of it.
Who has ever heard of pot-related cirrhosis?
How many times have you heard of cannabis related car fatalities?
I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do when I’m high is drive. I’m way too busy singing along with Alexa trying to remember the lyrics to “Comfortably Numb” or re-watching episodes of “Black Mirror.”
(Yes, in my younger days, I did a drive under the influence of marijuana a few times, but I always got to where I was going every time… at 18 miles per hour; 34 on the highway.)
A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that drivers who use marijuana are at a significantly lower risk for a crash than drivers who use alcohol. And after adjusting for age, gender, race and alcohol use, drivers who tested positive for marijuana were no more likely to crash than those who had not used any drugs or alcohol prior to driving.
How can cannabis help curb alcohol consumption?
The health benefits are many if one gives up alcohol.
For those who want to reduce their consumption, the NHTSA states there is “convincing evidence to the idea that marijuana is an “exit drug rather than a gateway drug.”
In a recent study out of Canada 973 participants said that after they had gotten medical cannabis clearance from their doctors that:
In the U.S. it’s reported states that have legalized medical and recreational cannabis, have experienced reductions in:
So, extrapolating from these and other studies, it appears that smoking pot provides a societal good in all its forms, whether inhaled or ingested.
It can also be deduced that a person who wants to decrease their intake of alcohol but also loves the mouthfeel of drinking, may want to explore a new way to get a marijuana high: potable cannabis wines. You can’t get that from a joint or a gummy bear.
What is cannabis wine?
Sweet Dreams Vineyard makes a delicious and healthy cannabis-infused wine they cleverly call “Cannabernet.”
Imagine sitting around a firepit at night with good friends sipping glasses of cannabis wine. From a purely social point of view, it engenders the same warm feelings we get from drinking at a bar, but with a much safer outcome.
Want to learn more? Go online and check out this great non-alcoholic wine at www.sweetdreamsvineyard.com.