EFFECTS OF SUPPRESSING THE URGE TO DRINK ON SMOKING TOPOGRAPHY - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY

Recent studies on the co-occurrent use of alcohol and tobacco have sug gested that efforts to control the use of one substance may influence the use of the other. However, little is known about how cognitive str ategies used to regulate the use of one substance may affect cross-sub stance use. In this study, 50 social drinkers who were daily smokers w ere exposed to the sight and smell of their favorite alcoholic beverag e under instructions to either monitor or suppress their urge for alco hol. During a subsequent trial, participants were permitted to smoke w hile smoking topography was assessed. Although urge ratings were not i nfluenced by instructional set, participants who had previously suppre ssed their urge to drink alcohol showed more intense smoking behavior than those who had monitored. Results are discussed in terms of the cr oss-substance effects of urge suppression and their implications for p olysubstance treatment.