Cannabis is a Safer, Natural Treatment for Alcohol Addiction

Many people suffer from the invisible illness of substance abuse and addiction, with alcohol addiction reported to be the most common in North America. In the year 2000, 3.5% of all deaths in the United States were attributed to alcohol. How many deaths have been attributed to cannabis? Zero.

Patients seeking relief from the potentially lethal symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are usually prescribed benzodiazepines by their doctors. Compared to benzodiazepines, cannabis provides a safer alternative to treat many of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, potentially saving lives from a deadly interaction between the stimulant and depressant drugs. So, why aren't more doctors prescribing cannabis to their alcohol addicted patients?

If you’re not familiar with the profiteering motives of the pharmaceutical industry, you may be surprised that cannabis hasn’t yet been fully embraced by the medical community for its many therapeutic uses. Meanwhile, known chemical killers and highly addictive substances like benzodiazepines and opiates are welcomed with open arms, even sometimes pushed onto patients who are already struggling with drug abuse and addiction problems.

Treatments for Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

In fact, benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed to treat symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, even though mixing them with alcohol is dangerous and possibly lethal! So, doctors are happily prescribing a substance that they know could kill their alcohol-dependent patient if they were to relapse, meanwhile cannabis can relieve the same symptoms without any of the physical health risks. Yet, many experts continue to claim that there simply isn’t enough research available to justify using cannabis as a substitute for alcohol.

Well, the research that we do have is very promising. And, common sense tells us that it’s probably better to give someone a substance that cannot possibly kill them, over prescribing a medication that could potentially kill them should they relapse, if there is even a chance that it could have similar benefits. Not only could prescribing benzodiazepines kill a patient if they relapse, but it could also add to their existing dependency issues by potentially causing an addiction to benzodiazepines in addition to alcohol.

Cannabis a Safer Alternative to Treat Alcohol Addiction

Withdrawal symptoms stemming from alcohol or benzodiazepines can lead to seizures, coma, or death. The withdrawal symptoms related to cannabis consist of: trouble sleeping, strange dreams and angry outbursts. So, cannabis is incontestably less harmful than benzodiazepines and alcohol. Therefore, it is likely to be a better treatment option for those struggling with dependency or addiction. Despite echoed claims bemoaning lack of data, there is a significant amount of evidence dating back to 1970 that cannabis can be used to relieve symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. In fact, it may even help users in treatment to complete their programs, or help users to wean themselves off, compared to those who did not use medical cannabis.

Studies show that medical cannabis users frequently substitute it in exchange for a drug they feel would be harmful to them. Substitution means that an individual chooses to use one drug instead of, or with, another drug due to reasons like perceived safety, addiction potential, symptom relief, level of social acceptance and access. Substitution therapies for tobacco and heroin dependence have been available for decades, with nicotine replacement therapy and methadone, respectively. Right now, there is no similar substitution therapy for those suffering from alcohol dependence and addiction.

Cannabis Use May Reduce Alcohol Use and Related Harms

If cannabis is a viable substitution for alcohol and/or other drugs, should people have the right to choose it instead of another, potentially more harmful, prescription alternative?Yes, says Harry Lehmann, a 21 year old former user of cannabis. Harry explained to me how he used cannabis as a substitute for cigarettes, and that doing so helped him quit. However, he doesn’t use cannabis anymore. He says that he used cannabis as medicine, and now that he’s healed, he doesn’t need it.

“Cannabis is not for everyone, it’s a personal decision that comes from self-awareness,” Harry cautions. As for what advice he’d give to someone thinking of using cannabis therapeutically, he states that they should “use it as a tool instead of something to abuse… [or] are you just replacing one habit for another?”

The majority of studies I reviewed determined that cannabis use actually reduces alcohol use and related harms. None of the studies suggested that cannabis was more harmful than alcohol.

Cannabis Reduces Risk of Overdose, Comparatively

A growing number of studies suggest that people tend to use cannabis in place of alcohol, although some studies suggest that using alcohol and cannabis together may lead to more substance abuse overall compared to the use of either one alone.

But, unlike with alcohol and benzodiazepines, cannabis alone cannot cause an individual to overdose. Our endocannabinoid system just doesn’t work that way. Plus, combining cannabis with alcohol does not lead to higher blood or breath alcohol levels, so it can’t increase the risk of alcohol overdose, either.

While researchers remain skeptical, existing research is generally optimistic that in the (hopefully near) future, cannabis can be used as a form of substitution therapy for alcohol and other drugs. Certainly, cannabis provides a less harmful option for patients, when compared to other substitution alternatives like benzodiazepines.

SOURCES

Benzodiazepines for Alcohol Withdrawal. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/alcohol/benzodiazepines-alcohol-withdrawal/. Accessed January 15, 2019.

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Subbaraman MS. Can cannabis be considered a substitute medication for alcohol?. Alcohol Alcohol. 2014;49(3):292-8.

Swartz R. Medical marijuana users in substance abuse treatment. Harm Reduction Journal. 2010;7:9.

US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Drug Safety Communication: Warning against use of Xyrem (sodium oxybate) with Alcohol or Drugs Causing Respiratory Depression. 2013. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm332029.htm.