Pulmonary function in smokers after short-term cessation of alcohol ingestion

To test whether acute alcohol withdrawal has an effect on pulmonary function, we studied 33 smoking alcoholics admitted for a four-week period of rehabilitation during which they consumed no alcohol. Flow-volume curves, lung volumes by body plethysmography, and single breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide were measured on admission, at two weeks, and at four weeks. We found no significant change in pulmonary function between the results on admission and after four weeks of abstinence from alcohol. We conclude that short-term cessation of alcohol did not significantly influence pulmonary function in our subjects.