Combined Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine on Subjective Responses and Cognitive Functioning

The health risks presented by use of alcohol and nicotine are compounded by the fact that the two substances are commonly used and abused together. Although numerous hypotheses concerning the alcohol-nicotine relationship have been suggested, few human studies have examined the acute effects and interactions between these drugs. The primary goal of this investigation was to examine the individual and combined effects of alcohol and nicotine on various aspects of subjective experience and cognitive functioning. Participants (n = 71) were randomly assigned to receive three alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, followed by one high- or low-nicotine cigarette. They completed self-report measures of various subjective states, as well as measures of digit vigilance and rapid visual information processing. Nicotine was expected to enhance the effects of alcohol on subjective variables and to counteract alcohol-induced impairment in cognitive functioning. The information gathered from this study contributes to the clarification of the complex relationship between nicotine and alcohol and the common use of the two substances together.