Numerous studies have documented positive relationships between tobacco use and alcohol consumption. A new field study investigated the relationship between smoking status and alcohol consumption among community college students (n = 415) aged 18 years or older in a bar and restaurant district close to campus. Data collection teams completed structured interviews with participants, then collected breath alcohol content (BrAC) samples. Participants were classified as non-smokers (those who reported smoking fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetimes), smokers (those who reported smoking more than 100 cigarettes), and social smokers (those who reported smoking fewer than 100 cigarettes but had smoked in the past 30 days). The data collection teams also administered the alcohol use disorders identification test-consumption (AUDIT-C) to assess hazardous drinking and collected data on demographic characteristics. For analysis, the authors calculated basic descriptive statistics for the sample, calculated smoking status rates by demographic characteristics, and performed one-way ANOVAs with Bonferroni correction to examine differences in BrAC levels and hazardous drinking scores by smoking status. Results indicated the sample was 59% male and 70% non-Hispanic White. The mean participant age was 20.8 years and 78% were did not belong to a Greek organization. The average BrAC level was 0.068 (SD = 0.055; Range 0.000–0.237) and the average hazardous drinking score was 4.7 (SD = 2.5; Range 0–12). A higher score indicated more severe hazardous drinking. Twenty-five percent (n = 105) of the sample were regular smokers, 15% (n = 61) were social smokers, and 60% (n = 249) were non-smokers. Males were more likely to be classified as smokers than females (34% versus 14%, respectively). Results of the ANOVA tests indicated smokers had significantly higher hazardous drinking scores (Mean = 5.7) than social smokers (Mean = 4.4) and non-smokers (Mean = 4.3). Smokers also had significantly higher BrAC levels (Mean=0.088) than social smokers (Mean = 0.059) and non-smokers (Mean = 0.063). The BrAC levels and hazardous drinking scores of social smokers and non-smokers were not significantly different. The authors concluded that the drinking habits of social smokers reflected those of non-smokers, although being a regular smoker was associated with greater alcohol consumption. A limitation of this study is possible selection bias and limited generalizability because participants self-selected into the study.

Take away: Results of this field study indicated about 25% of community college student participants reported smoking regularly and an additional 15% reported smoking socially. Mean hazardous drinking scores and breath alcohol content among social smokers were similar to those of non-smokers in this sample, although scores for regular smokers were higher than both of these groups.

Martin, R.J., Robinson, M., Cremeens-Matthews, J., Chaney, B.H., Wynn, K. & Lee, J.G. (2018). Examining differences in breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels and hazardous drinking by smoking status among a sample of college student bar patrons. Journal of Community Health [published online ahead of print May 17, 2018] doi: 10.1007/s10900-018-0529-6