College students and young people who hope to avoid cruel hangovers by adding marijuana to their drinking classes may make an expensive mistake.
New research tracks daily substance use patterns suggests that combining alcohol and marijuana actually increases the risk and severity of hangovers, leading to the widespread belief that weeds can somehow buffer the effects of alcohol’s morning boom.
These findings were proposed at the New Orleans Institute for Alcohol Studies, challenging the broad hypothesis that the two substances interact in the body. When used concurrently, marijuana does not provide protection, but rather amplifies the negative consequences of alcohol.
Daily tracking reveals hidden patterns
Yale researchers used smartphone surveys to capture real-time drug use and hangover experiences, tracking 86 young people aged 18-29 across the United States for 30 days. Participants completed two daily check-in, one between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the other between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., with exceptionally detailed pictures of how alcohol and marijuana were used, how to affect recovery the next day.
The study focused only on people who used two substances together last month, 79% of whom were current college students. It is worth noting that 37% of people live in states where recreational marijuana is legal at the time, reflecting the ever-changing material availability of young people.
“Hangovers can harm the way people think and process information,” explained Holly K. Boyle, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. “Hangovers can affect safety and performance when working, school, or managing other responsibilities.”
Three surprising findings
The study found several counterintuitive patterns that contradict the common assumption of mixed substances:
- The risk of hangover is higher when alcohol and marijuana effects overlap compared to drinking alone
- More severe hangover symptoms after using simultaneously with alcohol-only session
- Longer marijuana use duration with heavier alcohol consumption exacerbates hangover severity the next day
These findings suggest that marijuana does not buffer alcohol like many users. Instead, the interaction between the two substances appears to have a compound effect that worsens the hangover result.
Time is the most important
The key factor is not only the use of both substances on the same day, but also the ability to ensure that their psychoactive overlaps in the body. This temporal interaction appears to be the reason driving the increased risk and severity of hangovers, suggesting that researchers are still working to understand complex neurochemical interactions.
The duration of marijuana use also plays a role, and participants who used marijuana experienced a more severe hangover for a long time when using marijuana in combination with alcohol. This suggests that chronic marijuana exposure may sensitize users to the negative effects of alcohol rather than establishing protective tolerance.
Changes to social norms require new research
Boyle highlights the urgency of understanding these interactions when marijuana is legalized to spread. “Concurrent use of alcohol and marijuana is a greater risk factor for drinking and a negative consequence of drinking. However, few studies have been studied about how to use hangovers at the same time.”
With the rapid expansion of marijuana legalization, combined use among young people has become increasingly common. This standardization makes the study particularly relevant to public health messaging and damage reduction strategies.
Researchers advocate for multifaceted educational efforts for young people in universities and non-university. Boyle advises: “Social media, health exercises, and educational resources for community activities conducted on college campuses or through medical centers are potential ways we can get to colleges and non-universities to participate in young people.”
The study’s smartphone-based approach provides models for future studies that study matter interactions, capture behaviors and consequences, rather than relying on potentially flawed retrospective reports. As cannabis policy continues to evolve nationwide, this real-time data collection is invaluable for understanding the interactions of multiple substances in everyday environments.
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