Concurrent Alcohol and Tobacco Dependence Mechanisms and Treatment

People who drink alcohol often also smoke and vice versa. Several mechanisms may contribute to concurrent alcohol and tobacco use. These mechanisms include genes that are involved in regulating certain brain chemical systems; neurobiological mechanisms, such as cross-tolerance and cross-sensitization to both drugs; conditioning mechanisms, in which cravings for alcohol or nicotine are elicited by certain environmental cues; and psychosocial factors (e.g., personality characteristics and coexisting psychiatric disorders). Treatment outcomes for patients addicted to both alcohol and nicotine are generally worse than for people addicted to only one drug, and many treatment providers do not promote smoking cessation during alcoholism treatment. Recent findings suggest, however, that concurrent treatment for both addictions may improve treatment outcomes. KEY WORDS: comorbidity; AODD (alcohol and other drug dependence); alcoholic beverage; tobacco in any form; nicotine; smoking; genetic linkage; cross-tolerance; AOD (alcohol and other drug) sensitivity; neurotransmitters; brain reward pathway; cue reactivity; social AODU (AOD use); cessation of AODU; treatment outcome; combined modality therapy; literature review Alcohol consumption and tobacco use are closely linked behaviors. Thus, not only are people who drink alcohol more likely to smoke (an