TOBACCO CESSATION TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL-DEPENDENT SMOKERS: WHEN IS THE BEST TIME?
Many people with alcohol use disorders also smoke. In population-based studies of adults who abuse alcohol or who are alcohol dependent, 33 to 44 percent smoke, and in the population of adults seeking treatment from alcohol abuse and dependence, up to 80 percent are smokers. In this article, Drs. Molly Kodl, Steven S. Fu, and Anne M. Joseph review the evidence regarding the effects of smoking cessation treatment on alcohol treatment outcomes and the advantages of simultaneous tobacco treatment versus treating alcohol and nicotine dependencies independently. Although many smokers in alcohol treatment programs express the desire to quit smoking, the question of when this should be done is debatable. SMOKING CESSATION AND ALCOHOL ABSTINENCE: WHAT DO THE DATA TELL US? People who both drink and smoke heavily are more likely to die of complications from smoking than from alcohol. However, many alcoholism treatment programs—even those that address multiple addictions—are unlikely to address c
