Both smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol can be very addictive, and a new study published by the University of Buffalo seems to suggest that each vice may play a role in the need for the other. The study specifically wanted to see if there was any correlation between success rates in alcohol treatments programs for smokers versus non-smokers. The study looked at over 21,000 cases in treatment facilities to see whether there was any role that smoking could play in staying sober. “The data suggest that smoking is associated with difficulties in alcohol treatment,” the study’s director Kimberly Walitzer says. Those who regularly smoke tobacco seem to have shorter time spent in the treatment facility and were less likely to achieve their goal of sobriety. This idea could have major effects in the way alcoholism is treated as Kimberly points out that “as the majority of people with alcohol disorders are, in fact, smokers.” The national average for those who smoke is 20% but for those with alcohol disorders the numbers are much higher. Both heavy smokers and heavy alcohol users have been represented by an increase in the rate of unemployment, mental illness, and criminal activity. This study seems to suggest that the best way to recover from alcoholism as a smoker is to quit smoking at the same time. The addiction for nicotine has already proven to be stronger than most heavily drugs such as cocaine or heroine, and quitting both smoking and consuming alcohol at the same time might be too hard for some people but the director asserts, “Previous research indicates that if people can quit smoking when entering alcohol treatment, they may have better alcohol outcomes.” More research will be done into this area of addiction and mental disorder, and what role the effect of nicotine addiction truly plays in the recovery of chronic alcoholics.
References:
Kimberly S. Walitzer, Ronda L. Dearing, Christopher Barrick, Kathleen Shyhalla.Tobacco Smoking Among Male and Female Alcohol Treatment-seekers: Clinical Complexities, Treatment Length of Stay, and Goal Achievement.Substance Use & Misuse, 2015;
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