HealthDay Article: Struggling with Alcohol? Better Quit Smoking Too
Research published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has shown that recovering alcoholics who do not smoke have higher chances for sustained recovery, and regain certain types of brain function faster and more completely than those who do smoke.
"Decision-making skills, thinking speed, 3-D visualization and short-term memory were affected [for those who smoke], calling into question the prospects of long-term sobriety..."
Researchers also found that while both smoking and non-smoking recovering alcoholics were found to have improvements in cognitive tests the longer they abstained from alcohol, the improvements for smokers took longer to achieve.
The article also discusses research findings which support the idea that smoking cessation does not have a negative impact on alcohol treatment outcomes, and quitting smoking may "improve the likelihood of longer-term sobriety."
