Does cessation of smoking cause a change in alcohol consumption? Evidence from the Lung Health Study

Abstract

Although use of cigarettes and alcohol is positively related, there is a lack of evidence whether changes in smoking are followed by changes in drinking. The Lung Health Study recruited 5,887 adult smokers and randomized 2/3 to a smoking cessation intervention and 1/3 to a control group. "Heavy drinkers" were excluded from the sample. After a year in the study, 42% of the intervention participants reported that they had stopped smoking, compared to 11% of the controls. There was no corresponding difference between intervention and control participants in the use of alcohol after one year, although the study provided a high level of power to detect such a difference.