It's no mystery that many drinkers smoke, and many smokers drink. What is novel is a recent finding among rodents that nicotine can reduce blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at dosage levels that could be achieved by human smokers. This may lead to more drinking. "Since the desired effect of alcohol is significantly diminished by nicotine %u2013 particularly among heavy or binge drinkers such as college students %u2013 this may encourage drinkers to drink more to achieve the pleasurable or expected effect," said Wei-Jung A. Chen, associate professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. "In other words, cigarette smoking appears to promote the consumption of alcohol."

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