Addiction Treatment
Key Points
- Smoking and drinking alcohol together can significantly worsen hangover symptoms, making them more severe.
- Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, interacts with alcohol to intensify hangover symptoms. This may be due to the way both substances affect dopamine release in the brain.
- Combining smoking and drinking can have serious long-term health consequences, including damage to the heart, liver, and kidneys.
- Severe hangovers can negatively impact attention, reaction time, and overall cognitive function.
- If you're struggling with addiction to either smoking or alcohol, seeking professional help can be beneficial for your overall health and well-being.
Drinking and smoking cigarettes can go hand-in-hand for many people. On days a person drinks heavily, they may also smoke a lot.[1] The nicotine may actually contribute to the intensity of a hangover for people who drink too much.[2] Smoking heavily on the same day as drinking creates more of a hangover experience than for people who do not smoke and drink. Learn more about why this happens and what causes the intensity of a hangover to rise with smoking.
Severe Hangover Symptoms
Even when participants were controlled for age, the frequency of drug use, type of involvement, gender, smoking status, and results of the study were the same: heavy smoking caused more severe hangover symptoms.[3]
Nicotine’s Role
Researchers for this study looked at the most intense hangover symptoms and noted they were not just caused by students smoking more when they drank.[4] Those who consumed the same number of alcoholic beverages had a more intense hangover if they smoked more. Researchers are not sure why the combination of nicotine and alcohol causes more intense symptoms but it may be how dopamine is released in the brain. Smoking and drinking at the same time may boost the release of dopamine in the brain, so nicotine and alcohol are somehow connected in how they impact the brain.
Safety Hazard
The danger of severe hangovers is with how it impacts attention and reaction time.[5] A bad hangover might create in a person anxiety about working in certain occupations while experiencing hangover symptoms. Smoking may increase the negative effects on the brain caused by long-term heavy alcohol consumption. For different reasons, smoking has gone in tandem with drinking for many people. There are reasons to avoid both, especially if a person chain smokes and also drinks. The body cannot handle so much going on inside of it at once and will eventually struggle to cope. This is so difficult for the body to deal with, including the heart, liver, kidneys, and other parts of the body.[6] When a person puts all those toxins into the body at once, it can create myriad different reactions and responses which make it difficult for the body and brain to know how to react and results in a more intense hangover. It is best to consider finding ways of smoking less and drinking less if the behavior is problematic for health and wellness.
The Last Resort provides a safe, supportive environment for men in a retreat-like setting. Nature is an important component of recovery and healing. We strive to provide a place of enrichment that cultivates the inner as well as the outer journey of recovery. However you find your way to the Last Resort, we endeavor to provide a haven where you can journey through recovery, feeling like your life and story have meaning and a purpose. Contact us now!
Sources
[1] Verplaetse, T. L., & McKee, S. A. (2016). An overview of alcohol and tobacco/nicotine interactions in the human laboratory. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 43(2), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2016.1189927
[2, 3] Jackson, K. M., Rohsenow, D. J., Piasecki, T. M., Howland, J., & Richardson, A. E. (2013). Role of tobacco smoking in hangover symptoms among university students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 74(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2013.74.41
[4] Smoking may worsen hangover after heavy drinking. (2012, December 5). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/704021
[5] Scholey, A., Benson, S., Kaufman, J., Terpstra, C., Ayre, E., Verster, J., Allen, C., & Devilly, G. (2019). Effects of Alcohol Hangover on Cognitive Performance: Findings from a Field/Internet Mixed Methodology Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(4), 440. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8040440
[6] Mukamal, K. J. (2006). The effects of smoking and drinking on cardiovascular disease and risk factors. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6527044/
Written by
Briana Sefcik
Director of Trauma and Family Wellness, MS, LCSW, CSATFrequently Asked Questions
Smoking and drinking alcohol together can intensify hangover symptoms. Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, may interact with alcohol in ways that lead to more severe hangovers. While the exact mechanisms are still being studied, it's believed that the combined effects of nicotine and alcohol on the brain, particularly the release of dopamine, may contribute to this increased severity.
Yes, combining smoking and drinking can significantly increase long-term health risks. Both substances can damage various organs, including the heart, liver, and kidneys. When consumed together, they can exacerbate these negative effects. Excessive alcohol consumption, especially when combined with smoking, can lead to serious health problems like liver disease, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
While it's best to avoid both smoking and excessive drinking, if you do choose to partake, there are some strategies to mitigate hangover symptoms: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after drinking alcohol. Food can help slow down alcohol absorption. Reduce the amount of alcohol and cigarettes consumed. If you're struggling with addiction to either substance, seeking professional help can be beneficial.
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