Why a cigarette is so tempting after a drink: Nicotine undoes the sleepy feeling we g

[poledriver]

Why a cigarette is so tempting after a drink: Nicotine undoes the sleepy feeling we get from alcohol, scientists reveal

Nicotine cancels out the sleep-inducing effects caused by alcohol
Smokers are more likely to consume more alcohol than non-smokers
Researchers claim it shows why so many people smoke when they drink

Many pub-goers are tempted by a crafty cigarette when enjoying a well-deserved drink.
But now scientists have shed light onto why drinking alcohol can leave many of us craving a nicotine fix.
Smoking can stop us feeling sleepy when drinking alcohol, a study has found.
Specifically, researchers from the University of Missouri discovered nicotine cancels out the sleep-inducing effect of alcohol.
They claim it could explain why so many drinkers are also smokers.

'One of the adverse effects of drinking alcohol is sleepiness,' said Dr Mahesh Thakkar, lead author of the study.
'However, when used in conjunction with alcohol, nicotine acts as a stimulant to ward off sleep.
'If an individual smokes, then he or she is much more likely to consume more alcohol, and vice-versa. They feed off one another.'

Smoking is a major contributing factor to the development of alcoholism, with more than 85 percent of U.S. adults who are alcohol-dependent also nicotine-dependent.
Previous studies show - when used together - nicotine and alcohol increase the pleasurable side effects.
This is by activating an area of the brain known as the reward centre, leading people to drink and smoke more.
During the latest research, rats were given alcohol and nicotine while fitted with sleep-recording electrodes.

Cont -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...eling-drinking-alcohol-scientists-reveal.html

 

[belligerent drunk]

Interesting, but doesn't really work for me or explain my behavior. I have never been a smoker of cigarettes for some reason, I just don't like them. It all changes when I've had quite a lot to drink - I start craving a cigarette. I don't inhale as that's how I got used to smoke because I started with cigars, so I don't even get enough nicotine from it. It's more of a ritual for me, I guess. And then the next day the thought of smoking a cigarette doesn't even cross my mind. Oh and I drink a lot, or used to.

What about caffeine though? Shouldn't it work in the same way? Why don't people drink a lot of coffee along with alcohol? Also it may be just me, but I don't really get tired when drinking. Hell, when I drink I refuse to go to bed until normal people get up...

 

[manboychef]

jager bombs anyone? Vodka redbulls?

 

[S.J.B.]

There goes the Daily Mail, taking a bit of science and making wildly assumptive conclusions with it. Just because nicotine is a stimulant and ethanol is a depressant (which has been known forever) doesn't mean that these properties are the reason that people tend to crave cigarettes more when they are drinking.

Smoking is a major contributing factor to the development of alcoholism, with more than 85 percent of U.S. adults who are alcohol-dependent also nicotine-dependent.

Wow, what a surprise. People who are addicted to ethanol tend to also be addicted to the most addictive drug known to man! If you pick any drug at random, I bet that a majority of the people who are addicted to it are also addicted to tobacco. What is patently absurd is taking this correlation and claiming that smoking is a "contributing factor" to the development of addiction to other drugs.

 

[neversickanymore]

I call bull shit... drinking weakens the PFC so we end up with far weaker will power and resistance to our nicotine addictions.

 

[manboychef]

I call bull shit... drinking weakens the PFC so we end up with far weaker will power and resistance to our nicotine addictions.

This seems quite a bit more plausible. Occam's Razor. The most likely and easily explained answer is usually the correct one.

 

[belligerent drunk]

Correlation is not causation. Nuff said.