- baclab
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 11
Many young adults mix alcohol with cannabis to combine their effects, known as co-use. Studies show that co-use is more harmful than using either alcohol or cannabis on its own. Young adults may want to combine alcohol and cannabis for many reasons. They may want to cope with stress, to be social, to conform with peers, or to enhance the benefits of the high. They may also combine alcohol with cannabis when feeling anxious or depressed. But why do young adults combine cannabis with alcohol when they feel anxious and depressed, and how does this affect co-use behaviours and negative outcomes?
To answer these questions, our research team asked 151 young adults from Ontario who co-use cannabis and alcohol to fill out surveys about how often they co-use and its negative consequences. The surveys were done daily in three 21-day periods spaced 6 months apart. Every 6 months, we also asked them why they were mixing cannabis with alcohol and if they had symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression.
We found a link between symptoms and reasons to co-use. Some young adults were more stressed, anxious, or depressed than others. Those who were also had stronger desires to co-use alcohol and cannabis. These desires include to cope with stress, to socialize, to fit in, and to enhance their high. There were also times when young adults reported increases in their stress, anxiety and depression. During these times, they also tended to combine cannabis with heavy alcohol drinking more often. This was explained by a stronger desire to co-use to feel more high and more positive drug effects. Young adults may believe that combining cannabis with more alcohol will do a better job of making them feel better. Importantly, they also experienced more negative consequences of their co-use when they were more depressed or anxious, suggesting that this is a risky behaviour that could cause problems.
Ultimately, these findings show how a person’s reasons for co-using cannabis and alcohol predict changes in their co-use behaviours. As such, young adults who are feeling depressed or stressed out and want to co-use alcohol and cannabis should think about their specific reasons for doing so. Asking yourself why you want to co-use alcohol and cannabis can give you a sense of how you will co-use them. If you are a young adult who combines alcohol with cannabis to feel a stronger high when stressed or anxious, you are not alone. While a reason like this seems innocent enough, it can still lead to problems. Telling yourself you want to feel a stronger high can lead to drinking more heavily when using cannabis more often, leading to more negative outcomes in the long run. Thus, based on these findings, it is recommended that young adults try to find other ways to deal with anxiety and depressed mood instead of mixing alcohol with cannabis.Â
Interested in learning more? Check out the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.70147
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