ALCOHOL EFFECTS ON SMOKING URGE AND BEHAVIOR

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Concurrent habitual use of alcohol and tobacco lead to numerous short- and long-term health consequences (cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer) and premature deaths in our country each year. While smoking rates in the general population have decreased substantially over the last several decades, they remain high among heavy alcohol drinkers. While clients in smoking cessation treatment are advised to reduce or quit drinking, little is known about the nature of alcohol¿??s acute effects on smoking urges in the absence of actual smoking or direct smoking cues, both of which may exert effects on smoking urge. Further, prior studies have suggested that men may smoke more for interoceptive than exteroceptive factors compared to women, however, it is not known whether this difference may also extend to alcohol-related cigarette smoking behaviors. The overall objective of this study is to systematically investigate the subjective and physiological effects of acute alcohol vs. placebo consumption on smoking-related behaviors in male and female habitual drinker-smokers. This study will differentiate whether alcohol-induced effects on smoking urge and behavior are related to nicotine or non-nicotine factors by examining choice consumption of nicotinized vs. denicotinized cigarettes during alcohol and placebo beverage conditions. It will examine potential individual difference factors, such as male sex and heavy drinking levels, which may mediate the relationship between treatment (alcohol or placebo) and outcome (smoking urges and behavior). Understanding the potential unique biobehavioral mechanisms underlying alcohol and nicotine interactions for chronic habitual users of both substances may help to tailor early prevention and treatment programs to reduce concurrent heavy use of both substances.