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Why Smoking and Drinking Often Go Together

posted by martyb on Sunday November 01 2015, @10:19PM   Printer-friendly
from the I'll-drink-to-that dept.

AnonTechie writes:

Past research shows that more than 85 percent of US adults who are dependent on alcohol are also dependent on nicotine, but why do the two go hand in hand?

Now, a new study with rats finds that nicotine cancels out the sleep-inducing effects of alcohol.

"We know that many people who drink alcohol also use nicotine, but we don't know why exactly that is," says Mahesh Thakkar, associate professor and director of research in the University of Missouri School of Medicine's neurology department and lead author of the study.

"We have found that nicotine weakens the sleep-inducing effects of alcohol by stimulating a response in an area of the brain known as the basal forebrain. By identifying the reactions that take place when people smoke and drink, we may be able to use this knowledge to help curb alcohol and nicotine addiction."

http://www.futurity.org/smoking-drinking-1036052-2/

[Abstract]: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jnc.13219/abstract

[Source]: http://medicine.missouri.edu/news/0305.php

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 01 2015, @11:30PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 01 2015, @11:30PM (#257300)

    No. Prone to addiction.

    Addiction is mostly about filling a hole in your life. Loss, hopelessness, shame, etc. People who are fairly well adjusted generally don't become addicts.

    The famous rat in a cage experiment that "showed" that rats will OD on cocaine rather than drink water turned out to be a shining example of that principle. Turns out when you put rats in a large "rat playground" with stuff to keep them stimulated they don't prefer cocaine over water. It was only when locked up in a tiny, bare cage with absolutely nothing to do that they became addicted.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 02 2015, @03:26PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 02 2015, @03:26PM (#257526)

    Rats prefer sugar water to cocaine. I don't think you can read too much into rat studies.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 02 2015, @04:24PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 02 2015, @04:24PM (#257568)

    Plenty of people have holes in their lives. Not all fill them with alcohol and nicotine.

    You can tell Mahesh about the rat playground:

    "We know that many people who drink alcohol also use nicotine, but we don't know why exactly that is," says Mahesh Thakkar,

    But I'm sure you've seen lots of rich people who can buy the "rat playgrounds" they want and they still have holes in their lives that they fill with cocaine etc. And other rich people who don't do that sort of thing. And also lots of other rich people who fill some holes with cocaine and still remain quite functional...

    So yeah, people who get addicted to stuff, are more likely to get addicted to other stuff.