According to the World Health Organization, roughly 400 million people worldwide suffer from alcohol use disorder (AUD). Over 2.6 million deaths are attributed to alcohol every year. Concerns about the negative health effects of alcohol have led many to embrace a zero-proof lifestyle, but AUD remains a serious problem. Fortunately, a new study of cannabis and alcohol addiction may reveal a solution.
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The research, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, centered around the cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD). As it turns out, the cannabinoid may play a vital role in treating AUD in the years to come, offering intriguing results in the German study.
“Cannabidiol might be a particularly promising candidate, with preclinical data suggesting that CBD is effective in targeting AUD symptoms and disease processes that drive alcohol use and relapse, due to its anti-craving, stress-reducing, and anti-compulsive effects,” the study authors wrote.
Groundbreaking research
Twenty-eight volunteers with mild to severe AUD were involved in the study. The average age was 35, with an average consumption of 46 g of alcohol per day. Nearly all had consumed THC at some point in their lives. However, there were no positive drug screens prior to the study. Additionally, participants had to abstain from alcohol for 24 hours prior to the study’s start and could not be pregnant.
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The participants either took a capsule containing 800 mg of CBD isolate or a placebo. Three hours later, they were subjected to a “combined stress and cue exposure” in a laboratory setting made to resemble a bar. Afterward, the participants were sent to an “fMRI scanner where neural response to alcohol cues and craving were assessed.”
Researchers discovered that volunteers who took the CBD had significantly fewer alcohol cravings than the placebo group. The CBD group also saw less reactivity in the brain’s nucleus accumbens (NAc) region—also known as the “pleasure center.” Those findings were significant as the NAc region plays a major role in addiction.
By regulating this sector of the brain and reducing cravings, the study authors concluded the experiment “supports the potential of CBD to treat individuals with AUD.” They added it’s the first time such biological evidence has been revealed, marking a significant moment for addiction research. The researchers suggested further studies will be necessary to prove whether CBD could have a long-term impact on people struggling with AUD.
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That’s not to say this is not the only study suggesting cannabis may help treat addiction. A Canadian analysis showed medical marijuana consumption is linked to a reduction in drinking. Furthermore, several studies have shown the plant could ease the opioid crisis.
Alcohol dependence affects millions of people around the world, but recovery is possible. The CBD study may introduce a new way to help reduce problem drinking that could change the face of addiction treatment forever.
