Quit smoking to stay sober, study reveals

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Quit smoking is one of the oldest advices of medical experts because it helps reduce risks of developing pulmonary diseases like COPD, tuberculosis and lung cancer. As if these are not enough evidences, a new study reveals that there is a direct link between smoking and alcohol drinking, making it a cause of relapse in recovering alcoholics.

Eureka Alert reports that based on the collaborative study of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and City University of New York, American adults who are known smokers and with a history of alcohol abuse have a higher chance of relapse after three years as compared to those who do not smoke. This is because most alcohol-dependent adults are also smokers and while illegal substance abuse are monitored during alcohol treatment, nicotine-use is not one of them.

Dr. Renee Goodwin, an associate professor from the Department of Epidemiology and lead author of the study, explains that in a clinical setting, experts feel that asking alcoholics to give up both alcohol and cigarettes can be too complicated and difficult for the patients. Furthermore, these experts believe continued nicotine use will have no effect in the treatment of alcohol abuse among alcoholics.

The conclusion was made after the researchers analyzed the survey responses regarding alcohol use, abuse and dependence of almost 9200 participants from 2001 to 2002 and another batch from 2004 to 2005, UPI writes. Both chain and occasional cigarette smokers were noted to have doubled the chances of alcohol-dependence relapse than those who said they were nonsmokers.

It is unclear why cigarette smoking causes alcohol relapse but the researchers believe it could be due to behavioral changes, neurochemical links and the adverse effects of nicotine on cognition.

"Quitting smoking will improve anyone's health. Our study shows that giving up cigarettes is even more important for adults in recovery from alcohol since it will help them stay sober," Dr. Goodwin explains.

Yale School of Medicine psychiatry professor and first author Andrea Weiberger shares that the research can raise awareness about how dangerous smoking can be for patients suffering from alcohol abuse, Yale Daily News adds. She hopes that the results of the study will encourage alcohol treatment to incorporate smoking cessation in their programs.

George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, believes a staggered plan could be the best solution although if programs plan to treat both problems, it may have to be done gradually.