Ukert B – An inspection was pursued of the short– and long–term effects of quitting smoking on alcohol consumption using the Lung Health Study, a randomized smoking cessation program. The data yielded comprehensive evidence with regard to smoking and drinking being complements in the long–term. It also indicated that the public health and finance benefits in smoking cessations treatments were undervalued.

Methods

• The correlation between smoking and alcohol consumption was determined using several self-reported and objective smoking measures, while also implementing a two-stage least squares estimation strategy.
• It utilized the randomized smoking cessation program assignment as an instrument for smoking.

Results

• It yielded three salient findings.
• First, self-reported and clinically verified smoking measures presented mixed evidence on the short-term impact of quitting smoking on alcohol consumption.
• Second, the long-term influence of smoking on alcohol consumption, estimated via the historic 5 years smoking behavior, indicated that those with the highest average cigarette consumption and those with the longest smoking history exhibit the largest rise in alcohol consumption.
• Abstinence from smoking or reducing the average cigarette consumption to the mean level lowered the alcohol consumption by approximately 25% per week.