Alcohol disorder risk for casual smokers

Casual smokers are five times as likely as non-smokers to suffer from alcohol-related disorders, researchers have said.

People classified as non-daily smokers are also 16 times more likely to be designated as hazardous drinkers.

The research, conducted by Yale University and due to be published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research later this year, was conducted through interviews with 5,838 young adults on smoking behaviour and alcohol consumption.

Co-author Sherry McKee said: “Our goal in this study was to look at a range of smoking behaviours – daily smoking, non-daily smoking, non-smoking – and associations with binge drinking, hazardous drinking, and [alcohol-use disorders].”

Ms McKee admitted researchers expected an association between casual smoking and heavy drinking.

But she added that the extent of the problem came as a surprise, adding fuel to health campaigners claims that casual smokers are often not targeted by prevention measures.

“Drinking and smoking may also mutually promote each other, leading to bouts of heavy drinking and smoking,” the study authors suggest.