COMORBID CIGARETTE AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION - EPIDEMIOLOGY AND TREATMENT

The close association of nicotine addiction and alcoholism is well est ablished. As many as 80% of alcoholics smoke, and 30% of smokers are a lcoholics. The mortality from cigarette smoking and alcoholism individ ually is very high, as an estimated 400,000 deaths from tobacco and 10 0,000 deaths from alcoholism are reported annually. Cigarettes and alc ohol interact to cause certain cancers, e.g., head and neck. Only rece ntly has attention been focused on the role of tobacco in abstinent al coholics. An important study found high rates of mortality from tobacc o in abstinent alcoholics in recovery. However, the mortality rates fr om alcoholism were high and predominant. Of great importance is that s tudies show that abstinence from alcohol essentially eliminates the pr emature deaths or increased mortality rates from active alcoholism Sim ilar studies showing a reduction in mortality from abstinence in nicot ine addiction have not been forthcoming. The importance of treating ni cotine addiction, however, is clear to reduce the high mortality rates from tobacco smoking in active or abstinent alcoholics.