What does crossfaded mean?

Crossfaded meaning

"Faded" is slang for high or drunk. "Crossfaded" (also cross-faded, crossed, or getting crossed) is both at once. In a 2018 survey of 807 young adults in the Seattle area, 87% had heard the word. The most common meaning they gave was using alcohol and cannabis at the same time (43%). The next was being drunk and high together (25%). Either way, it's the overlap: two drugs, one evening, effects stacked on top of each other.

Why crossfaded hits harder than either alone

This part isn't folklore. Two controlled studies measured it.

• Alcohol, then smoking. In a 2001 study, male volunteers drank either a placebo or a measured dose of alcohol and smoked cannabis. For many of the dose combinations, with alcohol on board they had higher levels of THC in their blood, felt the cannabis sooner, and reported more episodes of euphoria (feeling very high and happy) than with the placebo drink.
• Alcohol, then vaporized cannabis. In a 2015 study, adult cannabis users drank a low dose of alcohol or a placebo 10 minutes before inhaling vaporized cannabis. The alcohol produced significantly higher peak blood concentrations of THC and of its active breakdown product, 11-OH-THC. The authors wrote that this may explain the extra impairment seen when people combine the two.

In plain terms: alcohol seems to change how much THC your body takes in, so your usual amount may not be your usual amount. Canada's Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines say that using both together makes impairment and driving risk much worse, and that the combination should be avoided. Health Canada's advice is short: avoid mixing alcohol, cannabis and other drugs, because the results can be unpredictable and dangerous.

What getting crossfaded feels like

At a low level, people describe it as being more drunk than the drinks explain, with the cannabis fuzz on top. Past that, the common story is the spins (the room turning when you close your eyes), nausea and vomiting, sweating and going pale, a racing heart, and anxiety or panic. That pale, sweaty, nauseated stage is what people call greening out. It's deeply unpleasant and it usually passes, but with alcohol involved the vomiting and the sedation are the parts to take seriously.

Does the order matter?

You've heard the rhyme about weed before beer. The studies above gave alcohol first and found more THC in the blood. The reverse order hasn't been studied as carefully. Alcohol in your stomach keeps reaching your blood after you stop drinking, so a drink can land well after the joint and tip you over anyway. Don't rely on the order. Pick one or the other.

What to do when you're crossfaded

1. Stop both. No more drinks, no more puffs. Nothing you add will help.
2. Sit or lie on your side, somewhere safe, with someone who knows what you took. If you might vomit, your side, not your back.
3. Water, in sips. Something plain to eat if you can keep it down.
4. Breathe slowly and wait. Smoked or vaped cannabis usually peaks within about 30 minutes and eases over the next few hours. The too high page has the full set of steps for the anxiety and the spins.
5. Don't drive, and don't let anyone else drive. Lower-risk guidelines say to wait at least 6 hours after cannabis before driving, and never to drive after mixing it with alcohol. Get a ride or stay put.

How long does crossfaded last?

Two clocks are running. Alcohol leaves at its own pace. Coffee, cold showers and walking around don't speed it up. Smoked or vaped cannabis usually peaks within about 30 minutes and eases over the next few hours. An edible starts later and lasts longer (see how long edibles take), which is why people who eat an edible and then drink get caught out later. The worst of a crossfade usually passes in a few hours. Feeling flat the next day is normal.

How to avoid getting crossfaded

• Pick one for the night. The only reliable method.
• If you've been drinking, skip the cannabis. In two lab studies, drinking first raised the THC in people's blood.
• Never mix with edibles. You can't take back an edible once it's in, and it arrives late.
• Tell someone. A friend who knows you had both can spot the slide earlier than you can.
• Plan the ride home before the first drink or puff.

Words you'll hear

• Faded: high, or drunk, depending on who's talking.
• Crossed, cross-faded: both.
• Greening out, whitey: the pale, sweaty, nauseated state from too much cannabis, with or without alcohol. See too high.
• The spins: the room turning when you close your eyes, mostly an alcohol thing, worse with cannabis.
• SAM use: what researchers call simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use.

Common questions