Cigarette smoking in alcohol and cocaine abusers

This study compared the cigarette smoking of substance abusers whose primary substance of abuse was cocaine (cocaine group: n = 18) or alcohol (alcohol group: n = 23). Cigarette smoking and smoking topography was assessed daily (via self-report and single cigarette topography assessments) at baseline and following a switch to a cigarette brand with 30% lower nicotine. The alcohol and cocaine groups did not differ at baseline on cigarettes smoked per day, cigarette nicotine, smoking topography, or the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire. However, the cocaine group exhibited marked increases in compensatory smoking relative to the alcohol group following the 30% reduction in cigarette nicotine, as evidenced by decreases in the average time interval between each puff, p < .05, increases in the total amount of time spent puffing, p < .05, and increases in estimated total amount of time spent puffing per day, p < .05. These findings provide initial data that cocaine and alcohol abusers may titrate nicotine differently and suggest that cocaine abusers may require additional or modified smoking cessation treatments.