Saufen und Rauchen...
The stereotype of the Alcoholics Anonymous attendee dashing out during breaks for a cigarette reflects a sobering reality: Depending on who you ask, 50% to 80% of alcoholics are smokers, compared to only 23% of the general population, and behavioral studies in the past have shown that smoking and drinking can be mutual triggers—think of the "non-smoking" friend who still bums cigarettes when you're out at a bar.
Now, scientists at the San Francisco VA Medical Center have issued preliminary findings that suggest there are neurological links between smoking and drinking, most notably that alcohol-related brain damage repairs more slowly when a former drinker is also a smoker. The research, published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, has important implications for the future of treating alcoholism.
Investigators divided their subjects in recovery into two groups: one of non-smokers and one of smokers. They used magnetic resonance and spectroscopic imaging to assess, among other things, levels of brain metabolites, which are biochemical indications of positive brain function. The tests were run initially during the first week after the subject's last drink and then again a month later. Results of another set of tests, measuring cognitive factors like learning, memory, attention and processing speed, are currently under review at the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Now, scientists at the San Francisco VA Medical Center have issued preliminary findings that suggest there are neurological links between smoking and drinking, most notably that alcohol-related brain damage repairs more slowly when a former drinker is also a smoker. The research, published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, has important implications for the future of treating alcoholism.
Investigators divided their subjects in recovery into two groups: one of non-smokers and one of smokers. They used magnetic resonance and spectroscopic imaging to assess, among other things, levels of brain metabolites, which are biochemical indications of positive brain function. The tests were run initially during the first week after the subject's last drink and then again a month later. Results of another set of tests, measuring cognitive factors like learning, memory, attention and processing speed, are currently under review at the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
