If you are thinking about your drinking, another part of the picture may be easy to leave out: what else are you using, and when?
I want that question to feel like an opening for support. It should not feel like another opportunity to be judged.
When a headline says “about half”, who does it mean?
A JAMA Network Open study published on 24 September 2026 examined US survey data from 2021–2024. Among adults who had used both alcohol and cannabis in the previous month, 49.0% said they used them together during their most recent drinking occasion. [1]
“Together” meant cannabis use while drinking or within a couple of hours. Using both at separate times in the month was counted differently.
So this is about a particular group of people who already used both substances. It does not mean half of all adults, half of all drinkers or half of Australian women.
It describes a pattern, not a way to treat drinking
This was a survey snapshot. It did not test whether cannabis helps someone stop drinking or whether swapping one substance for another improves recovery. [1]
People reported their own behaviour, some did not respond, and the question focused on their most recent drinking occasion. Those limits matter. A single reported occasion cannot explain a whole person’s habits.
What I take from it is a reason to ask about the full picture, rather than evidence for a substitution strategy.
Why using them together matters
The US CDC advises that combining alcohol and cannabis can increase impairment. Their effects do not cancel each other out. Avoid driving after using either. [2]
A clinician can have a more useful conversation when they know what you use, when and what you hope it helps with. That includes prescribed products.
You do not need to call yourself “in recovery” to ask. And if you are already working on drinking less, talking honestly about cannabis does not erase that effort.
A few questions to bring with you
Do the two tend to appear on the same evenings? What do you hope each one helps with? If one changes, does the other change too? What would support your own goals?
These are prompts for a conversation, not a diagnosis or instructions to replace one substance with another.
Finding support
In Australia, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline offers confidential information and support on 1800 250 015. [3]
If alcohol dependence may be involved, seek medical advice before stopping suddenly because withdrawal can be unsafe. [4] You deserve help that makes room for the whole situation.
Read the original sources
- Han, Hobin and Compton: simultaneous cannabis and alcohol use ↗JAMA Network Open · 24 September 2026 · Peer-reviewed cross-sectional US survey study. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.35815.
- CDC: cannabis, alcohol and driving impairment ↗Public-health guidance · Included for practical safety context, separate from the survey finding.
- Australian Government: National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline ↗Free, confidential information and support.
- Healthdirect: withdrawal and medical support ↗Patient guidance · Discuss withdrawal with a clinician or treatment service.