Can Cannabis Help Treat of Alcoholism?

Overview

Fortunately, there are other options for people who have been failed by AA or by formal alcoholism treatment programs. One of these options--which has proven highly successful for many individuals, is Marijuana Maintenance, which involves the substitution of cannabis for alcohol.
Research into the endocannabinoid signaling system has grown exponentially in recent years following the discovery of cannabinoid receptors (CB) and their endogenous ligands, such as anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG).

Important advances have been made in our understanding of the endocannabinoid signaling system in various aspects of alcoholism, including alcohol-seeking behavior. Alcohol increases the synthesis or impairs the degradation of endocannabinoids, leading to a locally elevated endocannabinoid tone within the brain.

Various 'Alcoholism' Global Medical Journal Articles Related to Cannabis

BMC Public Health



PLoS One


PLoS One


PLoS One

Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research

2018 - USA: Study ~ Adolescent Brain Surface Area Pre- and Post-Cannabis and Alcohol Initiation.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs



Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment

2017 - France/ Japan: Study ~ Cannabis, alcohol and fatal road accidents.

PLoS One



Brain Sciences

2017 - USA: Study ~ Cannabis and alcohol use, and the developing brain.

Behavioural Brain Research



2016 - Australia: Abstract ~ Sexual identity and prevalence of alcohol and other drug use among Australians in the general population.

International Journal of Drug Policy

Substance Use & Misuse

2016 - Canada: Study ~ A common public health-oriented policy framework for cannabis, alcohol and tobacco in Canada?

Canadian Journal of Public Health


Science of The Total Environment

2016 - India: Study ~ Drug abuse in slum population.

Indian Journal of Psychiatry


2016 - Netherlands/ Germany: Study ~ Brain reactivity to alcohol and cannabis marketing during sobriety and intoxication.

Addiction Biology


2016 - Netherlands: Abstract ~ Secondary Effects of an Alcohol Prevention Program Targeting Students and/or Parents.

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment


2016 - Poland: Study ~ Cannabinoid Ligands and Alcohol Addiction: A Promising Therapeutic Tool or a Humbug?

Neurotoxicity Research



2016 - USA/ Denmark: Study ~ Chronic alcohol exposure disrupts CB1 regulation of GABAergic transmission in the rat basolateral amygdala.

2016 - USA: Study ~ Impacts of Changing Marijuana Policies on Alcohol Use in the United States.

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research


2016 - USA: Study ~ Substitution and Complementarity of Alcohol and Cannabis: A Review of the Literature.

Substance Use & Misuse





2015 - USA: Study ~ Drug and Alcohol Crash Risk.

National Highway Safety Administation



Health Economics
Research is showing using cannabis to taper off other hard drugs that you are physically addicted to is definitely a good idea and can be effective. To take your mind off your desire to use the drug and can even take the edge off the withdrawals.

also see Quitting Other Drugs Using Cannabis
see related: Chemical Composition of Cannabis
also see index of Every Drug on Earth