Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis has a greater risk of more severe hangovers

Nobody likes experiencing the room-spinning nausea or bone-weary fatigue of a hangover, often the next-day consequence of heavy drinking. While some young adults have reported using cannabis to try to avoid alcohol hangovers, new research shows that simultaneous use of the two substances will in fact have a higher risk of a hangover and may result in a more severe hangover. These results will be shared at the 48th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Hangovers can impair the way people are able to think and process information,” said Holly K. Boyle, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. “Hangovers can affect safety and performance at work, in school, or when managing other responsibilities. Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis is a risk factor for heavier alcohol use and negative consequences of drinking. However, little research has examined how simultaneous use relates to hangovers.”

Boyle will discuss her team’s findings from a 30-day survey study of young adults who use both alcohol and cannabis at the RSA meeting on Sunday, 22 June 2025.

Study participants were 86 young adults (18-29 years old) from across the U.S. who had used both alcohol and cannabis together during the previous month. Most of the participants (79 percent) were current four-year college students, and 37 percent lived in states where recreational cannabis use was legal at the time of the study. Each was asked to complete two daily surveys about their alcohol and cannabis use on a mobile-phone application; the first survey was available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the second from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

Boyle found three key findings. “One, the risk of hangover is higher on days when someone uses both alcohol and cannabis such that their effects overlap, compared to days when someone only drinks,” she said. “Two, hangovers may be more severe following simultaneous use compared to alcohol use alone. Three, using cannabis for a longer period of time, in addition to heavier drinking, increased hangover severity the next day.”

Boyles noted that with the rise of cannabis legalization, the use of cannabis while drinking alcohol is now often the norm among young adults. “Thus, there is a pressing need to research the interactive effects of these two substances so we can better support young adults in making informed decisions about their substance use.”

She recommends using a multi-faceted approach to communicate the risks of using alcohol and cannabis together to young adults. “Social media, health campaigns on college campuses or through medical centers, and educational resources at community events are all potential ways we can reach both college and non-college attending young adults,” she said.

This article was originally published on Newswise: Drugs and Drug Abuse.