Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Alcohol and nicotine — an addictive link

Before you take your next drink or smoke that cigarette, consider this: alcohol and tobacco are among the top causes of preventable deaths in the United States. It’s not surprising that these substances are often used together. In fact, the results of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, one of the largest co-morbidity studies ever conducted, revealed that people who are dependent on tobacco are four times more likely than the general public to be dependent on alcohol. People who are dependent on alcohol are three times more likely than those in the general population to be smokers. Statistics indicate that more alcoholics die of tobacco-related illnesses (cancer, lung disease and heart disease) than die of alcohol-related problems.

Alcohol and tobacco use lead to major health risks when used alone. When combined, alcohol and tobacco dramatically increase the risk of certain cancers of the mouth, throat and liver.

Why are tobacco and alcohol co-use so common? Both are legally available and easily obtained. Recent research also suggests that common genetic factors may make people more vulnerable to both alcohol and tobacco addiction. Consuming alcohol and tobacco together increases the pleasure users experience from either drug alone. Nicotine has been found to increase the craving for alcohol; the number of cigarettes a person consumes rises in tandem with the number of drinks consumed. Smoking is also a behavioral trigger for drinking. Smokers drink twice as much alcohol as non-smokers, and their risk of drinking too heavily is also twice that of non-smokers. While the percentage of smokers has dropped to 30 percent of American adults, it is unchanged among alcoholics.

When a person must consume more of a substance in order to achieve the same rewarding effect, the body has developed “tolerance.” “Cross-tolerance”, that is when tolerance to one drug confers tolerance to another, has also been documented in people who smoke and drink.

These findings have challenged the previously held belief that it is too hard to quit both alcohol and nicotine addiction as the same time. Smoking cessation does not cause abstinent alcoholics to relapse, but may actually decrease the likelihood of relapse, since nicotine is both a behavioral and biochemical trigger for alcohol use. Consequently, the treatment community is moving towards simultaneous interventions to address alcohol and nicotine addiction. Combinations of motivational counseling, nicotine patches/medications, and behavioral therapies have proven effective.

Cost of addiction

Any smoker will tell you tobacco use is expensive. In one year, the cumulative tax alone for someone smoking a pack a day ($2.75 x 365 days) amounts to $1,003.75. That’s a lot of gas, groceries, movies, dinners, etc. When combined with the cost of 365 packs of cigarettes, it could help finance a vacation. It costs in other ways too, not just in health care expenses, but in life insurance premiums. According to the Consumer Federation of America, a smoker pays twice the price a non-smoker pays for life insurance.

Take a moment and evaluate what it really costs you to light up. If you are in recovery, consider talking to your health professional about options for quitting.
_________
source: The Ithaca Journal, http://www.theithacajournal.com

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Consequences of Cocaine Addiction & the Need for Treatment

As one of the strongest Schedule I narcotics around, cocaine carries an incredibly high addiction potential. Most people take to cocaine because of the immediate “jolt” this drug causes. Cocaine’s addiction potential goes into action as of the first time a person tries the drug. When first starting out, cocaine produces increased energy levels, improved….

Paris gets a taste of teen binge drinking

It Tells You something about the novelty of a French debate about “le binge drinking” that an equivalent French term has yet to enter into common usage and that whenever the media broach it, they feel obliged first to explain to people what exactly it is. They’ve been doing a lot of explaining lately. According….

Top 10 Signs of Addiction

Are you concerned that a loved one is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol? If so, you must know the signs and symptoms of addiction, as this will allow you to pinpoint the problem and eventually get this person the help he or she needs. Some signs of addiction are easy to see, while others can….

Who Needs Crystal Meth Treatment?

One of the fastest growing drug problems and also one of the most dangerous epidemics in the United States is the use of crystal meth. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive street drug that was once only found to be prevalent in rural areas but can now be found dominating thousands of US cities and towns,….

Alcohol rehab numbers outstrip hard drugs

Alcohol has again outstripped illicit drugs like heroin and ice as the number one reason for admissions at a major Australian rehab service. Problem drinking topped Odyssey House’s 2009 admission list, because 26 per cent of those seeking care over the year named it as their “principal drug of concern”. It was fractionally down from….