With the holiday season upon us, many people will be attending various holiday parties. The holidays can be exhausting, filled with social obligations, late nights, sweet foods, and typically alcoholic drinks. The combination of all of these things can be hard on a person’s body and can add to the feeling of winter blues. We thought we would look into the weed vs alcohol debate to see what options are out there. The conclusion? Consider cannabis consumption over alcohol this holiday season; your body will thank you.
Weed Vs Alcohol
Why consider consuming cannabis over alcohol? Let’s look at the differences between weed and alcohol so you can decide what’s best for you this holiday season.
First, let’s consider the negative impacts we typically see with alcohol consumption.
- Socially inhibited. While this can be good for some, it can also lead you to embarrass yourself at the work Christmas party
- Often high in calories
- Relatively expensive
- Drinking too much leads to hangovers
Can cannabis solve these problems?
Cannabis can also make you feel relaxed to manage social situations more easily. However, it can make some people feel anxious. To avoid the uneasiness that may come along with cannabis, consider what strain may be most appropriate for you and always start with a lower dose and increase slowly over extended periods of time. Alternatively, consider consuming CBD alone as it does not have the same intoxicating effects of THC.
There are no calories associated with cannabis unless you are consuming edibles. If edibles are your method of consumption, you can consider making your edibles with cannabis concentrates or tinctures to minimize your consumption of sweets (it’s likely there’s already a lot of those over the holidays).
Cannabis is significantly cheaper than alcohol. Many of our edible products are around $20 and each package contains multiple doses.
It is way less likely you’ll get a hangover from cannabis. Note: if you consume THC too close to bedtime, you can wake up feeling a bit groggy, but that’s nothing compared to a traditional alcohol hangover.
Drunk vs High
When we are talking about making a decision between choosing alcohol or weed, it often comes down to the difference between being drunk and being high. Until recently, alcohol was much more socially acceptable than cannabis but that doesn’t mean consuming alcohol is better. Both alcohol and cannabis impact our brain and can cause short-term impairment and longer-term negative impacts. However, where cannabis does have healing properties there tends to not be any positive healing aspects associated with alcohol consumption (we don’t count social lubrication).
In reality, when it comes to whether or not it’s better to be drunk or high, it’s a bit about personal preference. But when it comes to cannabis there are more ways to mitigate any potential negative impacts, such as other consumption methods rather than smoking. Or consuming CBD alone or with small amounts of THC.
CBD as an Alcohol Alternative
Using CBD eliminates an important factor in the drunk versus high debate. CBD has numerous benefits, including managing stress and anxiety without the psychoactive high associated with THC.
You may want to consider a CBD vape, or one of these many other amazing CBD products.
How to Consume Cannabis During the Holidays
There are several ways of consuming cannabis, but depending on the scenario, you may want a more discreet method suited to a mixed social crowd. If being discreet is your goal, smoking or vaping may not be the best method; however, edibles, capsules, and concentrates are available.
CBD capsules are pre-dosed cannabis capsules that are easy to consume and can be taken before a holiday event to help manage stress.
Cannabis edibles are an excellent method of consumption for parties; just make sure to inform any people you share with that they contain cannabis. Edibles come in many different forms, including but not limited to gummies, chocolates, baked goods, and even beverages.
Cannabis Beverages
Sometimes there is some social pressure to consume alcohol in social environments. So, cannabis beverages can be a discreet way of avoiding alcohol without judgement.
Add Cannalean infused syrup to soda water or sprite for the perfect cannabis-infused beverage or add cannabis-infused honey to your favourite tea, coffee, or other hot beverage (apple cider is a good one during the holidays.
Cannabis Mocktail Recipes with CannaLean THC Syrup
Want to make something a little more fancy than cannalean syrup and soda? Here are some cannabis mocktail recipes to try. Measurements are estimates, you can make adjustments based on the amount of syrup you use.
Watermelon Cucumber Mojito
- CannaLean Watermelon Syrup at preferred dose
- 3 leaves fresh mint
- 3 slices cucumber
- Sparkling water
- Add cubes of watermelon for extra taste
Cherry Kombucha
- CannaLean Cherry Syrup at preferred dose
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup plain kombucha
- Additional cherry juice if needed for extra flavour
Blue Shoe Mocktail
- CannaLean Bluer Raspberry Syrup at preferred dose
- 2 oz white cranberry juice
- Sprite
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is one of the building blocks of many great cocktails. Make your own cannabis-infused simple syrup for added variety into your cannabis cocktails this holiday season.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 4 grams cannabis chopped fine
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp vegetable glycerin
Instructions
- Bring the water to a low boil in a medium saucepan.
- Slowly add the chopped cannabis, stirring frequently.
- Add the sugar and stir until it completely dissolves.
- Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Do not leave unattended as you do not want the mixture to boil too vigorously.
- Add glycerin. Cook for another 7 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly. It will slowly start to thicken.
- Let the syrup cool before transferring to another container (consider a container with a spout for easier straining).
- Strain the mixture through a small strainer and cheesecloth into the container you are planning to store the syrup in.
- Keep in the fridge.
Final Thoughts on Alcohol Vs Weed
While it’s ultimately up to you how to approach the holiday season, choosing cannabis over alcohol may lead to a happier and healthier you. It’s also important to note that we do not recommend consuming cannabis and alcohol together.
Want to see more information about the differences between alcohol and weed? Check out the conversation on weed vs alcohol on Reddit. Love cannabis recipes? You’ve got to check out our special weed brownie recipe.