OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the association between alcohol use, abuse and dependence and cigarette smoking to determine whether alcohol may signal greater sensitivity to nicotine dependence at very low levels of smoking. METHOD: Data were drawn from five annual National Surveys on Drug Use and Health and included individuals age 12 to 21 who reported first exposure to smoking within the past two years and smoking at least once in the past month. RESULTS: Both alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence were associated with increased likelihood of symptoms that seem to tap tolerance for nicotine. These included items such as "the amount you smoke has increased"; "needing to smoke a lot more now in order to be satisfied"; and "smoking much more before starting to feel anything". Alcohol dependence, but not abuse was associated with the remaining symptoms, "after not smoking for a while, needing to smoke to feel less restless and irritable"; "craving cigarettes after not smoking for a while"; and "worrying about running out of cigarettes". All associations were not better accounted for by either alcohol use or amount smoked. CONCLUSION: If causally associated, treatment of alcohol-use disorders may prevent or reduce the early emergence of nicotine dependence symptoms among new smokers, very early in the smoking uptake process. If instead alcohol disorders are a signal of sensitivity for nicotine dependence best accounted for by a third variable, then adolescents with alcohol dependence and/or abuse during early exposures to smoking represents an important subgroup that may benefit from interventions directly targeting this association.
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the association between alcohol use, abuse and dependence and cigarette smoking to determine whether alcohol may signal greater sensitivity to nicotine dependence at very low levels of smoking. METHOD: Data were drawn from five annual National Surveys on Drug Use and Health and included individuals age 12 to 21 who reported first exposure to smoking within the past two years and smoking at least once in the past month. RESULTS: Both alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence were associated with increased likelihood of symptoms that seem to tap tolerance for nicotine. These included items such as "the amount you smoke has increased"; "needing to smoke a lot more now in order to be satisfied"; and "smoking much more before starting to feel anything". Alcohol dependence, but not abuse was associated with the remaining symptoms, "after not smoking for a while, needing to smoke to feel less restless and irritable"; "craving cigarettes after not smoking for a while"; and "worrying about running out of cigarettes". All associations were not better accounted for by either alcohol use or amount smoked. CONCLUSION: If causally associated, treatment of alcohol-use disorders may prevent or reduce the early emergence of nicotine dependence symptoms among new smokers, very early in the smoking uptake process. If instead alcohol disorders are a signal of sensitivity for nicotine dependence best accounted for by a third variable, then adolescents with alcohol dependence and/or abuse during early exposures to smoking represents an important subgroup that may benefit from interventions directly targeting this association.
Authors: Lisa Dierker; Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson; Marilyn Stolar; Brian Flay; Stephen Tiffany; Linda Collins; Steffani Bailey; Mark Nichter; Mimi Nichter; Richard Clayton Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2005-07-11 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Majken K Jensen; Thorkild I A Sørensen; Anne T Andersen; Thorkil Thorsen; Janne S Tolstrup; Nina S Godtfredsen; Morten Grønbaek Journal: Addiction Date: 2003-03 Impact factor: 6.526
Authors: Jennifer O'Loughlin; Joseph DiFranza; Rachel F Tyndale; Garbis Meshefedjian; Elizabeth McMillan-Davey; Paul B S Clarke; James Hanley; Gilles Paradis Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2003-10 Impact factor: 5.043
Authors: Lisa Dierker; Arielle Selya; Thomas Piasecki; Jennifer Rose; Robin Mermelstein Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2013-05-06 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Renee D Goodwin; June H Kim; Andrea H Weinberger; Farah Taha; Sandro Galea; Silvia S Martins Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2013-09-06 Impact factor: 4.492