Research has shown alcohol and marijuana use in young adults is associated with tobacco use. Research has also shown tobacco use is more common in those with risk factors such as being socioeconomically disadvantaged. The current study looks at how alcohol and drug use may impact smoking and cessation behaviors in young adults.
Participants were recruited through Vermont Center on Behavior and Health research studies with main inclusion criteria being aged 18-29, have smoked at least 100 cigarettes, and smoking some days or every day. The final study included 36 young adults. Measures for this study included sociodemographics, Social Prioritization Index score, tobacco use and cessation history, social media behaviors, alcohol and drug use, physical activity, and delay discounting. Participants also came in for a two-hour focus group focusing on cigarette smoking and poly-tobacco use, alcohol and drug co-use with tobacco, reasons for smoking, and barriers to quitting and prior cessation attempts.
83% of participants were white and 74% were not enrolled in post-secondary education. 83.9% said they considered themselves a “smoker.” Many participants stated cigarettes go along with alcohol and drugs and enhanced subjective experience was a main reason for co-use. Some users stated substances make them smoke more often while others said when they use less marijuana, their cigarette use increases. Several participants stated cigarettes are their last remaining addiction and smoking is a “last vice.” One major theme found was many feel they will relapse to alcohol or drugs if they quit smoking. These findings show young adults may benefit from targeted interventions addressing co-use and improving smoking cessation in socioeconomically disadvantaged young adults.
Take Away: The current study looks at how alcohol and drug use impacts smoking and cessation behaviors in socioeconomically disadvantaged young adults. Participants were recruited through Vermont Center on Behavior and Health research studies and the main measures included tobacco use and cessation history, social media behaviors, and alcohol and drug use. Participants came in for a two-hour focus group focusing on tobacco use, alcohol and drug co-use with tobacco, reasons for smoking, and barriers to quitting and cessation attempts. Overall, participants say they feel smoking goes along with other substance use, cigarette use is their last remaining addiction, and they may relapse to drugs or alcohol if they quit smoking. These findings show young adults may benefit from interventions addressing co-use and improving smoking cessation in young adults.