All the News That’s Fit: Alcohol cravings, hairy tongue and male dancers

For The Union-Tribune

California sober

The so-called “California sober” trend involves swapping alcohol in favor of cannabis consumption in the belief that it’s less harmful to the body and reduces the danger of using more potent drugs like opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine.

A small published study suggests the approach actually does reduce alcohol consumption, at least in the short term. Researchers found that cannabis consumers experienced less craving for alcohol and a reduction in drinking.

“Cannabis reduced the urge for alcohol in the moment, lowered how much alcohol people consumed over a two-hour period, and even delayed when they started drinking once the alcohol was available,” said Jane Metrik, a professor of behavioral and social sciences and of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University.

The researchers cautioned that study results don’t mean cannabis should be recommended as a therapeutic substitute for alcohol. They emphasized that cannabis itself can be addictive and that — like alcohol — there is risk for progressing to problematic use of cannabis.

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