Does Alcohol in a Bong Get You Crossfaded?
So… What Happens If You Put Alcohol in a Bong Instead of Water?
At some point in every stoner’s life, the thought crosses your mind: What if I put something else in the bong? It’s a curiosity as old as weed itself, and yeah—we’ve been there too. After enough hits with the usual water setup, your brain starts to wander: Would another liquid make it taste better? Could it get me higher? Will I die?
The internet is full of stories and debates. There’s the guy who ripped his bong with mouthwash, Mountain Dew, hot sauce, and even ranch dressing (we’re not recommending that last one… or any of them, really). But people also swear by more reasonable swaps like iced tea, Gatorade, or LaCroix. Sounds kind of refreshing, right? But do they actually change the flavor—or the high?
And then there’s alcohol. This one really splits people. Some swear it gives you a next-level experience. Others say it’s just gross or even straight-up dangerous. So, what’s the real deal? Can putting booze in your bong actually get you crossfaded? Does the weed mix with the alcohol somehow? Or are you just asking for trouble?
To get some real answers, we talked to a scientist and dug into this age-old stoner question.
So… Is It Safe to Put Alcohol in a Bong? Not Really. Here’s Why.
At first, swapping out water for alcohol in a bong might seem like a fun stoner experiment. Maybe you’re wondering if it’ll taste better, hit harder, or get you crossfaded faster. But here’s the deal: inhaling alcohol fumes is not only a bad idea—it can actually be dangerous.
Cannabis scientist AJ Fabrizio puts it simply: “From a health and safety standpoint, huffing alcohol is just a terrible idea. That’s why people drink alcohol instead of inhaling it like you would with a nebulizer or vape. You’ll probably feel super sick—and immediately regret it.”
When you smoke weed, THC goes straight into your lungs and then into your bloodstream, which is why you feel the effects almost instantly. Edibles, on the other hand, go through your digestive system and take longer to kick in. Alcohol works the same way—when you drink it, it gets processed by your stomach and liver before you feel buzzed.
But when you inhale alcohol vapor? It skips your digestive system entirely and heads straight into your bloodstream through your lungs. That means it hits fast and hard—and you have no real way of knowing how much is too much.
“If you’re breathing in alcohol fumes, you’re not just taking in cannabis smoke,” Fabrizio explains. “You’re also inhaling alcohol, and you can get intoxicated in a way your body isn’t ready for. It’s not something you can dose or control.”
And that’s one of the biggest risks—there’s no clear way to measure how much alcohol you’re inhaling with each hit. You can sip a drink and pace yourself. You can’t really do that with vapor.
To be clear, we’re talking about drinking alcohol here—vodka, whiskey, gin. That alone is risky when inhaled. But if someone were to accidentally use isopropyl alcohol (the kind you clean glassware with), that’s a whole different danger zone. Isopropyl is toxic, and even a few breaths of it can cause headaches, dizziness, loss of coordination, and worse.
“Repeated inhalation of alcohol—any kind—is dangerous,” Fabrizio says. “With isopropyl alcohol, it can even be fatal over time.”
At the end of the day, it’s just not worth it. The risks far outweigh the curiosity. Water may be boring, but it’s safe—and your lungs will thank you for sticking with it.
Does Alcohol Mess with THC?
Short answer? Yeah, probably.
There hasn’t been a ton of formal research on what exactly happens when THC comes into contact with alcohol, but we do know a few things. According to cannabis scientist AJ Fabrizio, alcohol—specifically ethanol—is a polar substance. That basically means it’s really good at breaking stuff down, including the good stuff in your weed like THC and terpenes.
So instead of helping your high, alcohol might actually be diluting it.
“You’re kind of wrecking the weed,” Fabrizio explained. “The terpenes—the part of the plant that gives it flavor and helps shape the high—get totally drowned out by the alcohol. If you’re using rum or vodka or something, that’s all you’re gonna taste.”
And terpenes aren’t just about taste—they play a big role in how you feel when you’re high. Mess with them too much, and the experience changes. On top of that, THC itself can be weakened in the process, so the overall effect might be way less than what you’d expect.
So while it might sound fun or different to swap water for booze in your bong, you could actually be cutting your high short—and missing out on all the things that make your weed great in the first place.
Could You Actually Catch on Fire Using Alcohol in a Bong?
So, this might sound a little wild, but a bunch of people online swear that putting alcohol in a bong can lead to a full-on fireball straight to the lungs. Dramatic? Definitely. But is there any truth to it?
Well… kind of.
If you’re using low-proof alcohol—like wine or beer—it’s probably not something you need to worry about. But once you get into the stronger stuff, like high-proof vodka or Everclear, things get a little more sketchy.
“Anything under 100 proof isn’t likely to ignite easily,” says cannabis scientist AJ Fabrizio. “But when you’re using higher concentrations of alcohol, fire becomes a real possibility.”
In other words, no, your bong isn’t going to explode the second you light it—but if you’re using something flammable enough, the risk is real. So yeah, maybe don’t test this theory in your living room.
Beyond the fire hazard, there’s another layer to this: heat makes alcohol more volatile. The warmer the alcohol gets—from your breath, the room, or even just the heat from the smoke—the more it turns into vapor. And when you pull air through a bong, you create low pressure inside, which only ramps up the volatility.
“That small temperature change? It’s enough to make the alcohol way more unstable,” Fabrizio explains. “It’s very different from just smelling a drink. When you’re bubbling air through it in a bong, you’re creating a whole different chemical situation.”
So yeah, even if you’re not turning your bong into a flamethrower, there are still plenty of reasons not to put alcohol in there. Stick to water. It’s boring—but it won’t explode in your face.
Why Mixing Alcohol and Weed Can Be a Mess—Especially When You Inhale Alcohol
If you’ve ever mixed alcohol and weed and ended up totally crossfaded, you know it’s a bit of a gamble. Finding the right balance is tricky, and if you mess it up, your night can take a nosedive fast. Now imagine making that even more complicated—not just drinking booze with your weed, but inhaling alcohol at the same time. Yeah, that’s a whole different level of tricky.
“Taking alcohol and cannabis exactly together usually isn’t a great idea,” says cannabis expert AJ Fabrizio. “It’s way harder to control how much you’re actually getting when you mix them like that.”
Plus, the two don’t exactly get along inside your body. They kind of act like opposites, even canceling each other out a bit.
“Cannabis is pretty safe, even if you overdo it,” Fabrizio explains. “But alcohol? It’s actually pretty tough on your nerve cells. The cool thing about cannabinoids is they help protect those nerves, while alcohol does the opposite.”
So yeah, it’s not just about how high or drunk you feel—your body’s dealing with some serious conflicting stuff on the inside.
Long story short? Don’t put alcohol in your bong. It’s risky, makes it way harder to find that sweet spot, and honestly, it’ll ruin the taste and kill your high. And isn’t the whole point to enjoy the weed in the first place?
You might also like to read How to Properly Pack a Bowl for Smoking
