Survey of subjective effects of smoking while drinking among college students

Prevalence of tobacco use among the college-aged population is approximately 30%; a significant percentage of students initiate use or transition to regular use during their college years. This study examined the relationship between drinking and smoking rates, subjective reactivity of concurrent effects of alcohol and tobacco use, and expectations of smoking while under the influence of alcohol in first-year college students. The sample consisted of ever-smokers (n=217), who had smoked at least once in the past year, with a mean age of 19.67 years. Weekly alcohol consumption was 18.53 standard drinks per week, with 2.95 drinking episodes per week. Of the sample, 54% were classified as smokers (smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime) and 46% were classified as experimenters (smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime). Results demonstrated that 74% of all smoking episodes occurred while under the influence of alcohol. Smokers had higher levels of alcohol use and reported greater subjective effects from the simultaneous use of alcohol and tobacco. Smokers also were more likely to generate expectancies acknowledging an increase in smoking while drinking and for smoking to enhance reinforcement from alcohol. Experimenters were most likely to report positive reinforcement from smoking while under the influence of alcohol. Overall, smokers experienced stronger subjective effects of concurrent alcohol and tobacco use; however, results suggest that smoking while under the influence of alcohol is a positive experience even for relatively inexperienced smokers.