While it is common knowledge that alcohol consumption impairs the ability for individuals to make wise and rational decisions, could it encourage people to feed their nicotine addictions? Or could the inhalation or absorption of nicotine products increase the levels of alcohol consumption on any given night? The answers to these questions remain uncertain, but modern research has led scientists and physicians to believe that these two commodities may be closely correlated.
In one such case, researchers discovered that the higher nicotine content in the blood was positively correlated with higher levels of alcoholic consumption. While this data may seem promising, there are many other factors that could have altered this study. In later trials, researchers were able to suppress alcohol consumption by using noncompetitive nicotinic receptor antagonists. Conversely, when competitive nicotinic receptor antagonists were used they did not illustrate the same scenario. Because of this discrepancy, the researchers that conducted this study postulated that there may be different types of nicotinic receptors found within the body and their activation or inhibition may be altered depending on the biochemical makeup of their activation sites.
So what does this actually mean for the general public? Regardless of the biochemical mechanisms of activation or inhibition, I think it is safe to say that, for the most part, both alcohol and nicotine seem to play a role in the increased consumption of the other. This does not mean that if you smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco that you innately drink more. Nor does it mean that if you drink excessively you are bound to smoke excessively. However, by engaging in either of these activities, you are increasing the activation and potential chance of using either of these two products.
With this knowledge, it should be easier for people to recognize these risks and take actions to prevent them from happening. This information can also be extremely useful for those that are trying to decrease their alcoholic intake as they may want to also stay away from any tobacco products. The same could also be said for people trying to stop smoking or chewing tobacco.
While going out on Friday nights may be a fun and entertaining time, I think that it is important to understand the potential risks and temptations that may arise. Based on both sociological and scientific studies, it has been strongly theorized that people tend to drink more when they have nicotine and people tend to smoke or chew more when they drink. Regardless of whether or not this is fully due to the biological affects of these drugs or the social aspect of downtown life, citizens should be aware of these factors so they can make more informed decisions for themselves.
