Concurrent Alcohol and Smoking Treatment: Effects on Alcohol Relapse Risk

Objectives:

Most alcohol and drug treatment programs do not systematically address cigarette smoking during treatment. One obstacle is a concern that smoking cessation early in recovery might increase risk of alcohol relapse. This study followed patients enrolled in intensive outpatient alcohol treatment to compare the effects of a Concurrent Smoking Cessation (CSC) intervention to a Deferred Smoking Cessation (DSC) control group on process measures reflecting risk of alcohol relapse.

Research Design:

Participants were enrolled in intensive outpatient alcohol treatment and then randomized to CSC or DSC groups in a 2:1 ratio. The CSC group received smoking treatment concurrent with intensive alcohol treatment and the DSC group received smoking treatment three months after alcohol treatment. The smoking treatment protocol included behavioral counseling, contingency management with voucher rewards for verified smoking abstinence, and prescribed nicotine patch and gum. During a three-month period after the CSC target smoking quit date, both groups of subjects were asked to participate in a prospective daily monitoring procedure, calling into an Interactive Voice Response system once a day to complete self-report assessments of relapse risk factors. By comparing participants in the CSC group composed of many participants who have stopped smoking with the DSC group who are expected to continue smoking during this daily monitoring period, we will determine the impact of smoking cessation on alcohol relapse risk factors.

Methodology: