Explaining the link between alcohol and nicotine
Swedish researchers have found that alcoholics' craving for alcohol is controlled by the same mechanism that nicotine uses to stimulate the brain. The findings could lead to new treatments for alcohol abuse. It has been known for some time that there is a link between alcohol and nicotine. 'Alcoholism is ten times stronger among smokers than among non-smokers, and this connection between alcohol and nicotine is not just because many people smoke at parties,' said Elin Löf, research at the Göteborg University, Sweden. As part of her doctoral dissertation, Dr Löf studied the brains of rats to find out more about this link. She found that when alcoholics are tempted to drink, the so called 'nicotine receptors' are activated. Furthermore, chronic use of nicotine can reinforce the rewarding effects of alcohol, while decreasing the sleep-inducing effects of alcohol. 'Drugs that affect the proteins that control the effects of nicotine ought to be able to help former alcoholics stay sober,' commented Dr Löf. 'It should be a mild drug that has a low level effect on other behaviours that are controlled by these nicotine receptors.' According to Dr Löf, such a drug, aimed at people trying to give up smoking, was recently launched by an international pharmaceutical company. Both smokers and alcoholics often have cravings for sweets, and Dr Löf found that this craving is also conveyed via the nicotine receptors. This means that a drug which targets the nicotine receptors should also help to reduce cravings. This is important as weight gain is a factor which often induces people to restart smoking.
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