Why You Need to Quit Smoking before Quitting Alcohol

Smoking and drinking are best buddies, aren’t they? The moment someone hands over a drink to you, the next thing you look for is a cigarette. So it’s only natural that if you are on your way to becoming a teetotaller, you might want to say goodbye to smoking first. A recent study reveals that people who are active smokers find it difficult to stop drinking, as tobacco keeps telling the brain to stay high.
A research was conducted on humans and monkeys to ascertain how exactly smoking affects your body when you try to quit alcohol. When you drink, the alcohol attaches itself to GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid A) receptors of your brain in order to transmit inhibitors like dopamine, because of which you start feeling happy or relaxed. When a habitual drinker stays away from alcohol for a substantial amount of time, his body tries to recover these receptors, but smoking blocks the recovery.
The research showed that those who resisted smoking while trying to quit alcohol, recovered GABAA receptors more successfully, than those who continued to smoke. This means, that alcoholics who continued to smoke recovered their health in a much longer span of time, as compared to those who resisted smoking. The research also suggests that even if you had quit drinking a while ago but you continue to smoke, your GABAA receptors will not fully recover.
Thus, pledge to ditch those cigarettes before you pledge to quit alcohol. You’ll recover faster and better!