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July 20, 2008Coffee and cigarette consumption are high among AA attendees |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: More than one million Americans currently participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program. Recent findings confirm that coffee and cigarette use among AA members is greater than among the general U.S. population. Most AA members drink coffee for its stimulatory effects; more than half smoke to reduce feelings of depression, anxiety and irritability. While AA participants are reportedly notorious for their coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, very little research has quantified their consumption of these two products. Recent findings confirm that coffee and cigarette use among this population is greater than among the general U.S. population: most AA members drink coffee and more than half smoke. "Drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes are part of the culture of AA, but we knew little about the degree to which this occurred, how much more prevalent these behaviors were compared to the general American population, or why AA participants actually drank coffee or smoked cigarettes," said Peter R. Martin, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology, director of the Vanderbilt Addiction Center at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and corresponding author for the study. Martin added that many questions remain about the effects of coffee and cigarettes on recovering alcoholics. Perhaps most interesting, how do these consummatory behaviors affect the brain and what is their role in recovery?" "I think that it is important for alcohol researchers and clinicians to know that alcoholics, even those who do not use other illicit drugs, are not just addicted to alcohol, but use other psychotropic drugs like caffeine and nicotine," said Swift.
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