Across the United States, more people are trying something known as the “California sober” lifestyle.
This trend involves giving up alcohol but still using cannabis, and many people say they feel healthier and more balanced when they do this. Some choose it because they want to cut back on drinking, while others believe cannabis is a safer or more gentle alternative.
As this idea spreads online and in everyday life, scientists have started asking an important question: does cannabis actually make people drink less, or is it just a popular belief?
A new study from Brown University offers the first real scientific evidence to answer this question. The research was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and is the first randomized, placebo-controlled experiment to test whether cannabis directly affects alcohol use.
Previous studies mostly relied on asking people about their habits, but answers based on memory are not always accurate. This new study was different because it allowed researchers to see cause and effect under controlled conditions.
The study was led by Jane Metrik, a professor of behavioral and social sciences and of psychiatry at Brown University. She and her team wanted to test the “substitution effect,” which is the idea that using cannabis might replace the desire for alcohol. According to Metrik, the results supported this idea.
Instead of cannabis making people want to drink more — something some experts previously feared — it actually reduced their desire in the moment. Participants felt less craving for alcohol, drank smaller amounts, and even waited longer before taking their first sip.
The study included 157 adults between 21 and 44 years old. All of them drank heavily and also used cannabis at least twice a week. Each person came to the laboratory three times.
During each visit, they smoked a different type of cannabis cigarette: one with low THC, one with higher THC, and one placebo with no THC at all. THC is the chemical in cannabis that creates the “high.”
This kind of trial is known as placebo-controlled, which is considered the strongest type of study in science because neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the real drug. After smoking, the volunteers took part in a drinking test called the Alcohol Choice Task.
The test was held in a room designed to look like a bar so the environment felt natural. Participants were given their favorite alcoholic drink and could choose either to drink it or turn down the drink in exchange for a small amount of money.
The reward was very small so that it would not unfairly influence their choice. Over two hours, they were allowed enough alcohol to reach a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit.
The results were clear. When participants smoked cannabis with THC, they drank less than they did after smoking the placebo. With the lower THC dose (3.1%), they drank about 19% less alcohol. With the higher THC dose (7.2%), they drank about 27% less. They also reported lower urges to drink and took more time before starting to drink at all.
However, the researchers warn that the results do not mean cannabis should be recommended as a treatment for alcohol problems. Cannabis can also be addictive, and some people use both substances together to increase the effects, which can actually make drinking worse.
The researchers also note that the study was done in a lab — not real life — and real social situations might lead to different behaviors, especially with stronger cannabis products.
Alcohol misuse remains one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. It is responsible for an estimated $249 billion in yearly costs, including health care, accidents, and loss of productivity. Cannabis and alcohol also often overlap, with many people who struggle with one substance also having problems with the other.
The research team is now running another study to examine what happens when alcohol and cannabis are used at the same time, not one after the other. They also want to understand how different cannabis compounds, such as THC and CBD, influence drinking behavior.
For now, this study offers early evidence that cannabis may temporarily reduce drinking in controlled conditions. But much more research is needed before cannabis could ever be suggested as a safe tool to help people cut back on alcohol.
As Professor Metrik explained, researchers must continue to study the issue carefully before giving any recommendations to the public.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how alcohol affects liver health and disease progression, and even one drink a day could still harm blood pressure health.
For more health information, please see studies that your age may decide whether alcohol is good or bad for you, and people over 40 need to prevent dangerous alcohol/drug interactions.
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