Kava + alcohol (within 12 - 24 hours, not at the same time)

[ElKavallero]

Is there anything other than anecdotal or speculative information on this?
I remember a section of Wikipedia's article that said up until a few weeks ago (but it's now removed) 'Alcohol and kava taken together cause a semi-comatose state' which from my investigation was a bullshit statement taken from a single forum post, about a guy who knew a guy.

Frustrating how little reliably sourced information there is. Anyway, my thought is a shell or two of Solomon kava this afternoon, and a beer or two (always with Game of Thrones )

My intuition says this is totally fine every now and then, and people in a traditional setting probably don't even think about 'potential risks' in the islands. Of course, I need to be cautious, so I'm curious about others experiences, and possibly more than anecdotal information if any exists....

 

[CanAwa]

I've had a beer or two after a few shells despite people saying that it was harmful and found that all it did was potentiate the beers effects

 

[TidyMinion]

First hand experience here: yes it absolutely potentiates the effects if alcohol. Mostly the bad. Although I am sensitive to alcohol I will say that but I drank kava early in the night one time then alcohol later and I blacked out and it also affected my health for long after that. Granted it was unrelated health issues but that night overloaded my system. Bad, bad scene. But it was too much of both that night and I didn't hydrate enough either. That happened one time, never again. Never had a kava hangover and I get one too easily with alcohol. Alcohol just isn't worth it, IMO. I know my story is prob the extreme end of this subject but it was easy to overdo it , is what I'm saying.

 

[kavadude]

I prefer to leave 24 hours inbetween consumption myself, but I am fairly sure you will not enter a semi-comatose state.

 

[CanAwa]

Honestly for me it just made the two beer I had seem like 4 and then I got a mild headache . Even that is enough to stop me from doing it again . I'll stick to one or another for that day .

 

[Deleted User01]

I'm in the 24 hour camp. On rare occasion, I may have a half beer after drinking Kava in the afternoon. It cures my thirst but I haven't done that in at least a month. I fear for my liver anymore.

 

[HeadHodge]

I've had a beer or two after a few shells despite people saying that it was harmful and found that all it did was potentiate the beers effects

Yes agreed.
I think that's where the "real" danger in mixing Kava with alcohol lies. Not knowing or understanding how the two interact with each other.

 

[endwatcher]

I think the real danger is those who abuse alcohol, and are HEAVY drinkers.
Ive drank Kava in the morning/mid day, and a few beers that night..never had a problem.

Thats not saying that our bodys are the same though.
I still feel strongly that the real negative effects happen from the abusive types.

I also take herbs that are good for the Liver.....take that as you may.

 

[Doobie Doo]

I too do like a good beer now and then (not a real home brewer - but do Brew On Premise now and then). Try not to mix Beer and Kava - no need.. but I do look at all those lonely bottles...and I do get tempted...

 

[TidyMinion]

I think the real danger is those who abuse alcohol, and are HEAVY drinkers.
Ive drank Kava in the morning/mid day, and a few beers that night..never had a problem.

Thats not saying that our bodys are the same though.
I still feel strongly that the real negative effects happen from the abusive types.

I also take herbs that are good for the Liver.....take that as you may.

I've started regularly drinking daily detox teas along with lots of water for my daytime hydration. Cut wayy back on the coffee so that also helps staying hydrated. I feel like i'm able to engage in longer kava sessions than before, FWIW.

 

[Deleted User01]

As a Home Brewer, I have 4 (5 gallon) kegs calling my name everyday. I just refuse to mix Kava and Alcohol though. If you have one then you don't need the other so I have Kava days and Alcohol days. Once in a blue moon I might have 1 beer to take the edge off the hydration. You might could get away with it and my liver as taken a 40 year beating and I'm still good, but why tempt fate? Everybody here should also look at their family history as concerns the liver. Tidyminion, the hydration thing is great. Everyone should drink lots of water irregardless of whether they drink kava or not. Luckily, my office is 5 feet from the bathroom.

 

[TidyMinion]

oh man might i also add an ice cold can of coconut juice/water does wonders for hydration. Especially after a session with the root.

 

[Asmrtica]

If I have ONE glass of wine (just a regularly sized glass) at 6 and then some kava around 8:45pm (not a big session) is that really dangerous?

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

If I have ONE glass of wine (just a regularly sized glass) at 6 and then some kava around 8:45pm (not a big session) is that really dangerous?

not likely, unless you plan on doing that everyday...or have an unknown pre-existing condition.

 

[MikeB]

I've tried mixing alcohol and kava together and found it to be bad even in small doses.

1 Tbsp of Mo'i, mixed with a beer or two that was a few hours earlier, was enough to make me way more nauseous than I wanted to be.

No, I didn't end up "comatose," but I could quickly see that mixing the two isn't something I want to mess around with. I didn't experiment any more past there.

Like most people writing here, if I'm going to be drinking at all, I basically decide if it's going to be a kava day or an alcohol day, and then I stick to it. I don't know if that's overkill, or if 12 hours is enough space between the two or exactly where the line is, but I really don't want to mess with it. Every time I get tempted to even mix them just a tiny bit I get way too god damn nauseous.

 

[HeadHodge]

If I have ONE glass of wine (just a regularly sized glass) at 6 and then some kava around 8:45pm (not a big session) is that really dangerous?

I think the danger is that they potentiate each other to some degree. So even if you are an experienced drinker (like me) you might find mixing the two can cause unexpected/undesirable results. That's why I would recommend keeping kava and alcohol at a distance from each other.

 

[Capitán Bastos]

Last year I went to see my wife's colleague doing his stand up at a festival. We'd had some Vanuatu blend no 7 (I had three shells) prior to leaving and a couple kava candies during the first acts, good times. She asked if I wanted a beer, I didn't think about that just said yes. I ended up having three 0,6l glasses of beer. Did they potentiate each other? Yes. But another effect was I felt no need to continue. Drinking cold beer on warm days with good friends tends to make a couple into a couple of digits. I was fine with politely declining the after party and just going home. Wen we got home, I had a couple of glasses of water and a couple of shells. No discomfort that or the next day.

Never did it again though. Never saw the need to. In fact, last time I had any alcohol was DEC16 last year, I just realized that. I'm not trying to quit a habit or anything. Probably just my working so much and being on call for the entire holidays (can't have any drinkypoos) combined with a decent stock of kava.

 

[Bubba Bula]

I notice drinking only one beer the day after drinking kava affects me way more than it should. I wouldn't advise drinking more than two really. Not that its gonna put you under, but that after a couple of beers if you drink more you might not feel as good as you hoped. Really just stick with kava mostly with the occasional beer and you'll be happier for it. For me the kava downside is it is a diuretic and can dry out your skin if you're not careful.

 

[KavaAccount]

I've been drinking two 'Yogi, Kava Stress Relief' teas followed by beer (Molson Canadian). Each tea contains 78mg Kava Root Extract; for an approximate consumption total of 160mg. The first beer always feels like two and and there is a mildly euphoric, light-headed headache that accompanies the initial buzz. If you find yourself in a similar situation, don't worry. I do this regularly and feel completely fine. In fact, I spend less on beer. Just don't drive.

 

[Deleted User01]

@KavaAccount, how many beers do you have? I do not approve of alcohol and kava because I have been there and done that. But how many?