Can CBD be the alcohol replacement I’ve been searching for?

It can give you the healing and relaxing benefits of cannabis without the high – or jail time. Christine Manby adds a dash of cannabidiol bitters to her tonic

Illustration by Tom Ford

Is it really still only January? Hasn’t it been 31 days yet? Nothing feels quite so long as a month in which you’ve taken the decision to have no fun whatsoever. No high calorie food. No skipping the gym. No alcohol. January is still by far the most popular month to give up drinking. If you’ve made it this far without a single sneaky G&T, then congratulations. You are a legend. If, on the other hand, you’re more like me and you gave up on Dry January on day two, then perhaps what you need isn’t the drink but the ritual. That’s where cannabis can help.

Don’t reach for the rolling papers. That’s not where this is going at all. Smoking weed is still very much illegal and growing it could land you with 14 years inside. But CBD, short for cannabidiol, is legal in the United Kingdom and the past year has seen a huge increase in the number of ways you can access its benefits, including as an alternative to alcohol.

CBD is one of the many chemical compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant. The most famous of those compounds is THC, the one which makes you high. Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive. Neither is it addictive. However, it does have a number of positive effects on the body, where it acts upon the “endocannabinoid system” (the ECS). The ECS has receptors all over the nervous system helping to maintain homeostasis (the chemical balance of the body). The body creates its own cannabinoids, which lock into those receptors to regulate appetite, metabolism and inflammation among other things so it’s perhaps no surprise that a malfunctioning ECS has been linked to fibromyalgia, IBS, migraine and increased levels of anxiety. CBD can help by stepping in where our natural cannabinoids are lacking.

Scientific studies suggest that CBD is neuroprotective, meaning it could have a use in slowing the progression in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. It’s also anti-inflammatory, which has implications for its use in pain relief and cancer treatment. Animal studies have shown that it may even disrupt the laying down of negative, fear-based memories, which could make it a useful treatment for PTSD. Meanwhile, anecdotal evidence abounds regarding CBD’s success at helping people control anxiety and reduce stress. So, should you be trying it? If so, how?

Gemma Colao, managing director of OTO International Ltd, first encountered CBD while living in California. At the time, Colao was working in the fashion industry and found the high-pressure nature of the work left her simultaneously exhausted but unable to get high-quality sleep. When a colleague suggested she try CBD, Colao’s immediate reaction was to leap to the association with cannabis and say: “I don’t think so. I’m that awful square...” But her colleague persisted and managed to persuade Colao that using CBD is an entirely different prospect from smoking a joint. She wouldn’t get high but she might feel better all the same.

Scientific studies suggest that CBD is neuroprotective, meaning it could have a use in slowing the progression in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. It’s also anti-inflammatory, which has implications for its use in pain relief and cancer treatment

Colao began her experiment with CBD in tincture form. She found the taste horrendous but her sleep quality quickly improved. She also found that the CBD was having a positive effect on her hormonal acne (it’s believed that CBD can regulate oil production by the sebaceous glands. It works for eczema as well). She was so impressed that she convinced her husband to try it too, with the result that he began the first on-line CBD dispensary.

When the family returned to London, Colao was disappointed to see how far the UK lagged behind with regard to CBD. In California, where the recreational use of cannabis is legal, CBD was available in all sorts of formulations. In the UK, Colao could find only the sub-lingual tinctures again. “They tasted revolting.” Also, those products which were available were low-strength and came nowhere near providing a large-enough dose to be effective. The solution was for Colao and a group of friends and scientists to start their own brand, importing high quality CBD oil (Isolate) from Colorado, where it is extracted from organic hemp to have no THC content.

“OTO” is a Japanese word, which Colao translates as describing the “space between sound and silence”. The company’s products, which include skincare and roll-on oils as well as ingestibles such as shots, are all “OTO strength” with a high enough level of bioavailable CBD to make a noticeable difference to the consumer. The products are categorised according to “three pillars”. Products for “focus” are the ideal morning boosters, to pick you up before a morning meeting. “Amplify” covers products that are perfect for social moments, for getting you through the afternoon low and helping you enjoy time with friends. Meanwhile “balance” is all about self-care and relaxation, harnessing CBD’s positive effects on sleep. The OTO range includes a pillow mist.

But the most innovative of OTO’s products is perhaps its “bitters”. Bitters are traditionally alcoholic spirits infused with plants that are used to flavour cocktails. You’ve probably heard of angostura bitters, an ingredient of the classic martini and the Negroni, which come in at a whopping 44.7 per cent alcohol by volume, putting it well off the Dry January drinks list. Luckily, OTO’s bitters are 100 per cent alcohol-free. They’re also sugar-free. CBD is combined with botanicals such as cardamom, liquorice and orange to create a flavour profile that is “herbaceous, citrus and with a hint of floral”. It’s a properly “adult” taste. You can add the CBD bitters to just about anything. Your morning smoothie, your mid-morning milkshake, even your coffee and tea. To help get you through the dark days of February, Colao suggests making yourself a warming “Winter Boost” (see recipe below). But if that sounds like too much of a faff, you could just add a dash to your gin-free tonic.

RECIPE
Three dashes OTO Bitters
50ml Lyres non-alcoholic Spiced Rum
10ml ginger juice
20ml lemon juice
10ml Maple Syrup
Pinch of cayenne pepper 

CBD bitters fit the trend for non-alcoholic botanicals such as Seedlip but, unlike Seedlip, they have a physiological effect that’s more directly comparable with having a “proper” drink. Colao says that it takes about 15 minutes for the CBD to get into the system but that some people claim they start to feel more relaxed immediately, perhaps a placebo effect due to the ritual of having a drink in hand. Drinkers report feeling calmer and more “present in the moment”. Regarding the amount of bitters you should have in one evening, Colao says two to three serves is ideal. You can’t really overdo it but if you did, you’d likely just fall asleep.

Like alcohol, CBD bitters can definitely help you get off to sleep. Unlike alcohol, CBD won’t have you waking at three in the morning feeling like a camel has been living in your mouth. Neither will you find yourself in a panic over what you might have said to your other half, boss or mother-in-law. In fact, consumer trials suggested that it’s in the “morning after” stakes that CBD really wins out over booze. Imagine feeling better after a few drinks rather than worse.

At £98 a bottle, OTO’s bitters are not cheap. But then 2500mg contains at least 100 serves. Compare that to the cost of three bottles of premium gin and it starts to look more reasonable. For me, wanting to avoid alcohol but still needing something to mark the end of the working week in a festive, “grown-up” way, CBD bitters seem like a novel solution worth trying. Suddenly, a Dry February looks altogether more achievable.