Alcohol and CBD can each make you drowsy, and the prescribing information for CBD warns that alcohol may increase that effect.1 Alcohol also raises the amount of CBD that reaches the bloodstream.1 Beyond those two findings, the combination has been studied very little, so there is no evidence-based “safe amount” to quote.
What happens when you mix CBD and alcohol?
Two things have been documented.
More sedation. Sleepiness is one of the most common side effects of CBD. In the epilepsy trials, at doses of 10 to 20 mg per kg a day, sleepiness or sedation affected 32% of people on CBD and 11% on placebo.1 The United States prescribing information says use with “other CNS depressants (including alcohol) may increase the risk of sedation and somnolence”.1 The Australian product information for Epidyolex says the same: alcohol “can potentiate the somnolence and sedation effect”.2
“CNS depressant” means anything that slows the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids and sleeping tablets are all in that group.
Higher CBD levels. In a study reported in the prescribing information, taking CBD together with alcohol raised peak CBD blood levels by 93% and total exposure by 63%.1 The label does not say how much alcohol was used. Higher CBD levels make dose-related side effects more likely. See CBD side effects.
For comparison, food has an even larger effect. A high-fat meal raises peak CBD levels about 5-fold.1 So a drink with a rich dinner could mean considerably more CBD in the blood than the same dose taken on an empty stomach. See Taking CBD with food.
Does the dose of CBD matter?
Almost certainly, but the numbers are missing. The sedation figures come from prescription doses equal to roughly 700 to 1,400 mg a day for a 70 kg adult, taken with other anti-seizure medicines.1 In a small Australian trial of 150 mg a night, CBD did not impair thinking the next day.3 That trial did not involve alcohol.
We found no controlled study that measured how impaired people are after typical lower doses of CBD combined with drinks. Until someone runs one, the honest answer is that the size of the effect at low doses is unknown.
Does taking CBD hours before drinking avoid the problem?
Probably not entirely. CBD is slow to leave the body. After a week of twice-daily dosing, its half-life (the time for blood levels to halve) is 56 to 61 hours.1 A person who takes CBD every day has it in their system all the time, including when they drink.
How you take a prescribed medicine is a matter for your prescriber. If you drink regularly, tell them, so they can take it into account.
What about the liver?
CBD can raise liver enzymes, a blood-test sign of liver stress. In a trial in healthy adults taking about 350 to 400 mg a day for 28 days, 5.6% of those on CBD had a significant rise and nobody on placebo did.4
No study we found tested whether drinking changes that risk. The prescribing information says there are “insufficient data” to assess the risk of combining CBD with other medicines that can harm the liver.1 People with moderate or severe liver impairment reach CBD blood levels 2.5 to 5.2 times higher than people with healthy livers.1
Some marketing claims that CBD protects the liver from alcohol. We found no human trial supporting that. See CBD and the liver.
Does CBD reduce the effects of alcohol or prevent hangovers?
We found no verified human evidence that CBD lowers blood alcohol, reduces intoxication or prevents hangovers. The documented effect runs the other way: more sedation, not less.1
CBD does not offset alcohol when it comes to driving, and it may add drowsiness on top. The Australian product information for Epidyolex says patients should be advised not to drive or operate machinery unless they are certain of the medicine’s effect on them.2 See CBD and driving.
A note on Epidyolex
The registered CBD medicine contains alcohol itself. Each mL of Epidyolex has 79 mg of ethanol. The Australian product information works this out as the equivalent of about 14 mL of beer or 6 mL of wine per maximum single dose for a 70 kg adult.2
Can CBD help people drink less?
Researchers are testing this. The results so far are too small and too mixed to rely on.
| Study | Who | CBD | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICONIC trial5 | 28 people with alcohol use disorder | Single 800 mg dose | Less craving when shown alcohol cues, and less activity in a reward area of the brain |
| Pilot trial6 | 44 people with alcohol use disorder | 150 mg a day, full-spectrum (contains a little THC) or broad-spectrum | Larger fall in craving with the full-spectrum product than with broad-spectrum or placebo |
| Youth trial7 | 36 young people | 600 mg | No significant effect on brain measures, behaviour or drinking |
None of these shows that CBD reduces drinking over months. We grade the evidence as insufficient. See CBD for addiction and substance use.
The United States medication guide for prescription CBD asks patients to tell their healthcare provider if they have abused or been dependent on alcohol, prescription medicines or street drugs.1 If drinking is a concern for you, your GP is a good first contact.
Practical points
- Tell your prescriber and pharmacist how much you drink. It affects how they weigh sedation and liver risks.
- Expect that alcohol may make CBD-related drowsiness stronger, particularly in the first weeks, at higher doses, or alongside other sedating medicines.1
- Do not rely on CBD to make drinking safer.
- If someone is very drowsy or hard to wake after combining alcohol with CBD, other medicines or a cannabis product, call 000. For advice on a possible overdose, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, at any time.8
Other combinations are covered in CBD drug interactions.
Footnotes
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Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information and medication guide, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Next-day cognition results from the Australian trial of 150 mg nightly CBD in insomnia, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11063694/ ↩
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JAMA Network. News release on Florian J and others, cannabidiol and liver enzyme level elevations in healthy adults, JAMA Internal Medicine, 7 July 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089832 ↩
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ICONIC trial of a single 800 mg dose of cannabidiol in alcohol use disorder. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12092268 ↩
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Pilot randomised trial of hemp-derived cannabidiol 150 mg a day in alcohol use disorder. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12066606 ↩
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Randomised controlled trial of cannabidiol 600 mg in young people who drink alcohol. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12339998 ↩
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healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩
Common questions
Can I drink alcohol while taking CBD?
The prescribing information for CBD warns that alcohol may increase sleepiness and sedation, and a study found alcohol nearly doubled peak CBD blood levels. How much this matters at lower doses has not been studied. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist how the warning applies to your dose and your other medicines.
Does CBD stop a hangover or lower blood alcohol?
We found no human trial showing that CBD prevents hangovers, lowers blood alcohol or makes drinking safer. Treat these as marketing claims. CBD does not make it safe or legal to drive after drinking.
Does CBD help people cut down on drinking?
It is not established. One study of 28 people found a single 800 mg dose reduced craving triggered by alcohol cues, and a pilot of 44 people reported less craving with a 150 mg full-spectrum product. A trial in 36 young people using 600 mg found no significant effect on drinking. Help for alcohol problems is available through your GP.
Is CBD plus alcohol harder on the liver?
Unknown. CBD can raise liver enzymes in a dose-related way, and the prescribing information says there are not enough data to judge the risk of combining it with other things that affect the liver. People with liver disease need a prescriber's advice before using CBD.
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
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