Whitfield JB, et al. – The purposes of this study were to compare the associations of the quantity of alcohol, number of alcohol–related symptoms, and smoking history with all–cause mortality as well as to evaluate symptom count and smoking history as confounders or mediators of the effects of high alcohol intake. The results of this study showed that the number of symptoms associated with high alcohol intake, and tobacco smoking, appear to account for the positive association between alcohol consumption and premature mortality.