Have you decided to take the plunge and go sober for Dry January? Dry January is when you abstain from alcohol for the month of January after indulging a bit more during the holidays. It’s a great way to start the new year off right. Whether you’re looking to reduce how much you drink or, improve your health, Dry January can help boost you to a better path to wellness but is cannabis (*aka Marijuana) a good alternative?
*Cannabis is the proper name for the plant, the name marijuana has a lot of stigma and racism attached to it
Going sober for an entire month can be a challenge (especially during the intense chaos which has become the daily news). You might find it hard to manage the day-to-day stresses without your glass of wine or beer to take the edge off.
Cannabis is a good alternative to alcohol as it can help you relax and unwind without the negative consequences.
“But wait isn’t Cannabis a drug and won’t that just replace one addiction with another?”
Cannabis has many properties that can either get you high or have no intoxicating effect. THC is the cannabinoid that gets you high however other cannabinoids like CBD don’t have any intoxicating effects.
THC like any substance can be abused however overall, cannabis is much less toxic than alcohol. While a glass of wine with dinner is a good thing, drinking too much can lead to serious health problems like liver damage, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of cancer.
The problem with alcohol is it’s highly addictive and it’s easy for a small glass of wine or beer to turn into two or three on days when we feel overwhelmed. Cannabis on the other hand, has a relatively low toxicity level and you can’t overdose, meaning it would take more than you could ever possibly consume to reach a dangerous level with cannabis.
Cannabis isn’t addictive the same way alcohol or cigarettes are, as your body doesn’t become dependent on it. You don’t suffer the same kind of withdrawals and body cravings with continuous over consumption of cannabis like you get with other more addictive substances.
Cannabis can be habit forming, and like any other substance that can improve your mood and make you feel good, you can over do it. I’ve written several articles on Weed Mama about safe consumption and how to enjoy cannabis, specifically THC in moderation.
Recommended reading:
How you can use mindfulness and cannabis to reduce stress and feel better
How to know when it’s time to take a tolerance break
“I don’t like the way cannabis makes me feel and I dont’ want to get high”
No problem, There’s so many ways to customize your experience with cannabis and you don’t have to get high if you don’t want to.
The biggest mistake people make when using cannabis is taking too much, there’s a pervasive misconception that leads people to think you just smoke a joint or eat an edible and get high but that’s not how it works. Cannabis is all about dose, method and the cannabinoids and terpenes you’re consuming.
Cannabis can provide a wide range of effects from getting more energy to feeling more relaxed, it really depends on several factors such as terpenes, cannabinoids, dose and method.
Cannabis isn’t just an herb you smoke that gets you high, there’s extracts that contain different properties of the plant (like THC and CBD) and these extracts come in different formulations giving you a more customized experience.
Don’t want to get high? There’s 3 cannabinoid extracts to choose from (as of writing this article, more are being introduced as time goes on) that don’t have an intoxicating effect:
- Cannabidiol, or CBD is a cannabinoid extracted from the cannabis plant, including hemp that can help in a variety of ways. It helps with anxiety, relaxation, sleep and topically it helps with stubborn skin conditions like eczema.
- Cannabigerol, or CBG is the known as the mother cannabinoid, all other cannabinoids are born from this one. CBG has a more energetic feel, it’s great for helping you focus and stay alert.
- Cannabichromene, or CBC is just now making it’s way to the market and it’s benefits look promising. It’s thought to be anti-tumor and anti-viral. It helps with inflammation and it looks to help with neurogenesis, creating new brain cells. This is the cannabinoid I’m most excited about as it’s potential to heal our bodies is promising.
Want to feel a buzz but not get too high?
There’s a variety of consumption methods to choose from, whether you prefer to inhale it or eat it, there’s numerous possibilities available. For inhalation I recommend dry herb vaporizing which not only reduces the harmful toxins in smoke, it allows you to adjust the temperature so you can customize your high by releasing the desired terpenes and cannabinoids. Each terpene and cannabinoid has a boiling point and I’ve created a handy guide to you choose the right temperature.
With edibles you can choose fast-acting edibles, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of cannabis without the time commitment of standard edibles. Fast-acting edibles mimic the effects of inhaling cannabis so your buzz kicks in faster, about 15 minutes and lasts about an hour.
Recommended starter guides:
Learn: How cannabis works in your body
Learn: How to use cannabis
Learn: Edibles guide
“I don’t want to gain weight, doesn’t weed give you the munchies?”
Are you worried cannabis will have you raiding the kitchen? While it’s true that cannabis can increase your appetite, it really depends on several different factors when it comes to the munchies. In fact research has shown that cannabis users are less likely to be overweight than non-cannabis users.
I’ve lost 30lbs while using cannabis daily, now I didn’t lose weight because I was using cannabis, I lost weight because I’m following the Keto diet. I know how cannabis can increase appetite if I consume it without CBD, take high doses and use it throughout the day. If I stick to a low dose in the evening, use CBD with cannabis and eat well throughout the day, I don’t get cravings at night.
Recommended reading:
Want to try cannabis but you’re afraid you’ll binge eat? 5 ways you can control the marijuana munchies
Trade your wine for weed during dry January and have better sex
That’s right ladies, cannabis is nature’s aphrodisiac and there’s nothing I’ve found that gets me into the mood better than cannabis. In fact Weed Mama was born from how cannabis was able to allow me to have sex without pain.
Cannabis is nature’s gift to women for sex and here’s how:
- Increases your libido: even if you’re tired and feeling overwhelmed, a bit of cannabis will put your right in the mood
- Reduces pain: many women, myself included suffer from pain during sex. Cannabis has helped me have regular sex with my husband pain-free
- Deepens orgasms: the orgasms you have on cannabis feels more intense. Even reaching orgasm is something many women struggle with, cannabis can help.
Does cannabis help men during sex? Men can also experience better sex with cannabis but men have to be careful, too much can cause erectile dysfunction, especially with edibles. It’s best for men to start with a low dose to see if has a negative impact on their erections, for some men it may actually improve it.
Recommended reading:
How to have a mind blowing orgasm with the help of cannabis
Edibles and sex is where it’s at, ladies!
Cannabis is a safe alternative to alcohol for dry January without breaking your goal of sobriety
As I mentioned earlier, cannabis can be taken in many different forms and formulations so you don’t have to ever feel intoxicated if you don’t want to, cannabis is customizable and can be included into your daily routine for wellness.
Take a stroll through this blog and learn how to get started so you can feel confident using cannabis to help you unwind, get better sleep, have good sex and overall feel better with mindful use of cannabis.
Comments
Thank you. Great info as always. Nicely written 🌹