Can CBD help you lower your alcohol intake?

Thanks to long days working from home and home schooling stresses, many of us have upped our alcohol intake during the Covid-19 pandemic – can CBD help us put down the bottle?

The Covid 19 pandemic has caused a lot of people to change their habits, and not always for the better.

Research has shown that more than a fifth of people admitted drinking more alcohol than usual during lockdown, rising to two fifths of parents and those on furlough.

And while a glass of wine at the end of the day is seen by many as a small treat, it’s not a harmless hobby; even moderate alcohol consumption – around seven to 14 drinks per week – is thought to be associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease.

Those looking for a way to relax at the end of the day might want to consider the ever-increasing range of CBD drinks, which offer the same calming effects without any of the side effects.

In fact, they’d be in good company; earlier this year, CBD drinks brand TRIP made the headlines when it was revealed that its products were flying off the shelves at the Queen’s farm shop.

The Windsor Farm Shop sells goods from the Royal Estates, but, according to reports, it also recently enjoyed huge demand for TRIP before selling out completely.

Each can, which is infused with 15mg of CBD, has also been popular at the Queen’s Tennis Club in Kensington, alongside stockists such as Selfridges, Liberty, Fenwick, Planet Organic, Harvey Nichols and Daylesford Farm.

Co-founder Olivia Ferdi, a Cambridge-educated lawyer who left her career to launch TRIP, said: “We’re thrilled so many customers are finding much needed calm with TRIP, especially in these particularly tricky times.

“Lockdown has been very tough and it’s so important to unwind in stressful moments.”

Meanwhile Craig Hutchison, founder of Ceder’s non-alcoholic gin and CBD Botanical Spirit, Maria and Craig’s, says booze-free options are becoming more popular with both those who are teetotal and those who want to cut down on alcohol.

“We’re seeing popularity increasing across all demographics and age groups,” he said.

“A lot of people are resorting to alcohol and self-medicating [during the pandemic] and it’s up to each individual to decide when they should or shouldn’t drink alcohol, but I would say that when you’re stressed and anxious, it’s not always the way to go.”

While there have been calls to regulate CBD in the same way as alcohol, the two are not comparable, not least when it comes to the harms associated with them.

Alcohol misuse is connected with domestic violence, sexual assault, liver toxicity, cancers and neurodegeneration, among a range of other ill-effects. CBD, on the other hand, has actually been shown to have health benefits, including stress and pain relief.

It appears that more people are turning away from alcohol and to CBD for that stress-busting effect; a poll released at the end of 2020 found that more than a third (33 per cent) of Britons have tried CBD products, while 42 percent have increased their usage since the outbreak of Covid-19.

More than 60 percent of those surveyed said they had found CBD products to be effective, with anxiety the most common reason for using them – making the fizz of a can of CBD just as alluring as a G&T.