I. The Irish Knew How to Drink—And How to Balance It
St. Patrick’s Day has always been about more than drinking. It’s about survival. A celebration of resilience, a reminder that no matter what the world throws at you, you find a way to thrive.
The holiday itself began as a feast day honoring Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who, according to legend, brought Christianity to the island in the 5th century and drove out the "snakes"—a metaphor for pagan traditions. But for the Irish, St. Patrick’s Day became something even bigger: a symbol of identity, unity, and defiance. During British rule, Irish culture was suppressed, but March 17th was the one day when people could publicly embrace their heritage.
In Ireland, before St. Patrick’s Day became a global event, drinking was a ritual, not a reckless sprint. It was balanced—often mixed with botanicals, herbs, and ingredients meant to keep the body in check. The Irish knew what modern science is only now confirming: alcohol is both medicine and poison. The difference? How you use it.
Poitín, an ancient Irish spirit dating back over 1,000 years, was often infused with wild herbs—angelica root, bog myrtle, heather—not just for flavor, but to counterbalance the effects of alcohol. Even Irish monks in the Middle Ages were known to distill spirits with medicinal properties.
Somewhere along the way, we lost that knowledge. We turned drinking into a zero-sum game. You either went all in and suffered the next day, or you held back and felt like you weren’t part of the celebration.
Then everything got a lot bigger in New York…
II. New York Built the Modern St. Patrick’s Day—And Almost Lost It
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade wasn’t in Dublin. It was in New York City, 1762.
Irish soldiers, serving in the British army, marched through Manhattan in what was less a celebration and more a quiet act of defiance. At the time, Ireland was under British rule, and Catholic traditions like St. Patrick’s Day were discouraged, if not outright banned.
So in New York, where the Irish could finally express themselves, they went big.
By the 19th century, millions of Irish immigrants had flooded into the city. They were poor, discriminated against, and unwelcome in the higher circles of society. So, they took over the streets instead. The parade grew. The drinking became part of the tradition. It wasn’t just about St. Patrick anymore—it was about being seen.
And then came the backlash.
By the mid-1800s, New York elites wanted the parade shut down. Newspapers called the Irish an embarrassment, their celebrations “debauched” and “out of control.” There were even attempts to ban alcohol sales on St. Patrick’s Day entirely, to curb what was seen as an unmanageable event.
But here’s the thing about New York: it doesn’t do bans well.
Every time the city tried to clamp down, the celebration only got bigger. The parade took over Fifth Avenue. Bars became packed to the walls. By the 20th century, St. Patrick’s Day in New York was untouchable—a spectacle that dwarfed its Irish roots.
And yet, despite all its glory, the city never solved one simple problem:
How do you survive it?
Because here’s the real secret: the greatest legends of the night aren’t the ones who drink the most. They’re the ones who make it through to the morning.
And that’s where we come in.
III. How THC & CBD Work With Alcohol, Not Against It
We’re not here to tell you to drink less.
We’re here to offer you a better way.
TBD is built on something science has confirmed but most people don’t realize: THC and CBD, in the right balance, don’t just enhance the experience of drinking—they protect you from the worst parts of it.
The Irish had similar knowledge centuries ago. The monks who distilled spirits weren’t just making alcohol—they were crafting elixirs, balancing their brews with botanicals that eased the body and steadied the mind. Over time, that wisdom got lost. We kept the drinking, but we forgot the balance.
Now, science is catching up to what tradition always knew: the right compounds turn alcohol into something smoother, smarter, and easier on the body.
Here’s how it works:
1. You drink less, but feel it more.
THC enhances the euphoric effects of alcohol, meaning you don’t need as much to hit that perfect social sweet spot.
This isn’t just anecdotal—a 2001 study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that THC increases subjective alcohol intoxication without increasing blood alcohol levels. In other words: you feel it more, while drinking less.
2. It blunts the worst effects of alcohol.
Alcohol works by disrupting the central nervous system, which leads to dehydration, inflammation, and a spike in stress hormones—the main culprits behind a hangover.
CBD, on the other hand, calms the nervous system, reduces inflammation, and even protects the liver.
A 2013 study published in the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine found that CBD reduces oxidative stress on the liver, meaning it actually helps counteract alcohol’s damage.
3. It makes hangovers disappear before they start.
The worst parts of a hangover? Nausea and headaches.
THC and CBD together work on the endocannabinoid system, which regulates nausea, pain perception, and mood stability.
Studies show that CBD suppresses nausea by interacting with serotonin receptors—which is why medical cannabis is prescribed for chemotherapy patients.
In plain English? The thing that makes you sick from drinking is the same thing CBD shuts down.
So instead of hair off the dog—which just delays the pain—TBD actually removes it before it happens. Or soothes the day after, for maximum hangover reduction: Drink some TBD (or take an edible from time to time) during the partying, and then have some more in the morning.
That’s why TBD is not just an alternative to alcohol. It’s also alcohol’s best friend.
The Irish figured some of this out centuries ago. New York almost lost the tradition. And now, we’re bringing it back—in a smarter way.
This St. Patrick’s Day, don’t drink like a rookie. Drink like you know something they don’t.
