Reducing Alcohol Use May Also Benefit Smoking

An individual's level of alcohol consumption appears to affect how quickly the body metabolizes nicotine, suggesting that reducing drinking could help patients who are trying to quit smoking.

Research published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research found that in a group of 22 daily smokers seeking treatment for an alcohol use disorder, the nicotine metabolite ratio declined as they reduced their drinking. Individuals with high nicotine metabolite ratios tend to smoke more and have a more difficult time quitting smoking.

“This research suggests that drinking is changing the nicotine metabolism as indexed by the nicotine metabolite ratio, and that daily smoking and heavy drinking may best be treated together,” said lead researcher Sarah Dermody, an ssistant professor at Oregon State University.

Dermody is now working on a study that will evaluate an intervention to reduce drinking in heavy-drinking individuals who also smoke; this will examine in part the intervention's effect on smoking behavior.