Combinations - Drunk and Smoking Cigarettes

[powderhead55]

Im posting this in alcohol because i know i'll get more responses than i would in Tobacco so thats why its here, mods. If u think different be my guest and move it.

This is for the smokers, do you guys smoke alot more when you drink? Like during the week, when i got work during the day and dont go party at night a pack of cigs will last me 3 days easy. But on weekend when i go out and get trashed, i go through atleast half a pack a night, then the other half the next day to soothe the hangover. And its not like i just smoke cuz there's nothing else to do, i CRAVE them. Anyone else get extreme cravings like this?

[Forthesevenlakes]

i personally dont smoke or drink, but my good friend SWIM does and he says that he is always prone to smoke more when he drinks. sometimes an entire pack in a matter of hours! he says that he also gets more craving when he is drinking.

i posted a similar thread about opiates, whereby they might cause NMDA agonism which could increase craving. however to swim's knowledge alcohol is an NMDA antagonist, and if craving for cigarettes are mediated partially or fully by the NMDA receptors, youd think alcohol should stop the craving for cigarettes! so maybe it has to do with alcohol increasing inhibition to the frontal lobe...so where you normally can block out an urge to smoke, this blocking mechanism is inhibited, and you crave more.

put succinctly, swim knows where swiy's comin from.

[Bajeda]

Yep, I'd say its pretty universal that if you are a smoker and you drink alcohol you are much more prone to chain smoking.

Also if you dont smoke and you get drunk you are much more prone to smoke a cigarette and enjoy it than if you were sober.

Nicotine + Alcohol = Amazing synergistic effect


Sometimes its disgusting though how many cigarettes I can smoke at the club. If I tried smoking several packs in a matter of hours while sober I would throw up all over the place most likely.

[Jatelka]

SWIJ found this abstract:


Psychopharmacological interactions between nicotine and ethanol

Jed E. Rose A1, Lisa H. Brauer A2, Frederique M. Behm A3, Matthew Cramblett A3, Kevin Calkins A3, Dawn Lawhon A3
A1 VA Medical Center and Department of Psychiatry Duke University Medical Center Durham NC
A2 Department of Psychiatry University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN
A3 Department of Psychiatry Duke University Medical Center Durham NC

Abstract:
Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory evidence has shown a positive correlation between cigarette smoking and ethanol use, and previous studies suggest some commonality in the neural pathways mediating effects of nicotine and ethanol. In this study, the subjective and behavioral interactions among nicotine, ethanol, and the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine were investigated. The main objectives were to determine how the rewarding effects of nicotine might be modified by ethanol, and to compare the effects of ethanol with those of a nicotinic antagonist (mecamylamine). A total of 48 smokers who regularly consumed alcoholic beverages participated in four laboratory sessions presenting a 2 (nicotine vs. denicotinized cigarette smoke)×2 (10 mg oral mecamylamine hydrochloride vs. placebo)×2 (ethanol .5 g/kg vs. placebo) design, with ethanol as a between-subjects factor. Dependent measures included blood alcohol concentration (BAC), as assessed by breath alcohol detector; subjective drug effects; and rate of ad lib smoking during a 2-hr period. Results showed that peak BAC averaged .03 g/dl in the ethanol condition. Ethanol potentiated some of the subjective rewarding effects of nicotine, including smoking satisfaction, stimulant as well as calming effects, and relief of craving for cigarettes. During the ad lib smoking period, mecamylamine decreased satisfaction associated with the nicotine-containing cigarettes; mecamylamine also induced smoking but only in the placebo ethanol condition. These results highlight the potent interaction between ethanol and nicotinic systems, and suggest that ethanol can potentiate the rewarding effects of nicotine as well as offset some of the effects of a nicotinic antagonist.

[prescription]

Well SWIM definately finds that he smokes a lot more in a club and drunk than when hes sober (about a pack ususally), this sint because he craves it more but usually because he finds it easier to make friends and talk to people with a cigarette in hand (dont ask him why, its just the way he feels), weird huh?

[powderhead55]

Originally Posted by prescription

this sint because he craves it more but usually because he finds it easier to make friends and talk to people with a cigarette in hand (dont ask him why, its just the way he feels), weird huh?

i get the same way, i feel much more outgoing when im smoking, much more confident. But like you said it seems like its only while im smoking for some reason, even if im still 'feeling' the nicotine, if its not burnin in my hand i lose that confidence. Addictions a bitch, huh? haha

[Bonjunklee]

SWIM just wanted to see everyone's experience with this, since SWIM has a feeling he has a stronger reaction than other people to nicotine. When he gets drunk and smokes a cigarette, it feels as if every inch of his body is buzzing and gets this incredible high. And just 20 minutes ago he was in his backyard and was so focused on the tiles above his pool in a weedish sort of tripping way that it made him think he has a natural intolerance to nicotine or something. What is everyone's experiences with smoking while drunk?

(and if this has been posted before, it was long ago and SWIM wants to see the newer member's opinions)

[YAYO4ME]

I have had the same experiance. while out with the guys on numorus ocations and upon returning home I light up that last smoke for the night ( or should I say morning). about half way thru I am feeling really f'd up. this drunking high last for quite awhile.

[Wflash]

Here's a baffling one in (vague) relation to this -

SWIM has a very good friend who after many years as a smoker gave up. He did however continue to drink fairly heavily as he had always done, but it seemed to effect him very differently now that he had stopped smoking. He started to get far more "out of it" when drunk. Talking complete irrelevant weirdness, not knowing where he was or what was going on, and remembering practically nothing the next day. He was always a fan of the occasional ecstacy pill too, but now this just seemed to get him into a ridiculous state - completely confused and a liability to SWIM and his other pals. Basically his experience of his standard night out completely changed for the worse for him and for those spending it with him.

However, not too long after he seemed to get back to normal and be able to enjoy his drink and drugs again the way he always had. And this coincided with him starting smoking again. He swears the the two are related, and that for some reason nicotine, or something else in your average tobacco, keeps his consciousness on top of the other chemicals swimming about in his central nervous system.

SWIM can't see how this could possibly be the case, but the evidence does seem to be there before his eyes, and he's certainly enjoying said friend's company again on a night out. It's a pretty stark difference.

Has anyone else heard of anything like this? No one else SWIM knows seems to have experienced anything like this with smoking, and in actual fact some people he knows say having stopped makes them feel more clear headed than they would have otherwise while drinking.

SWIM himself's never tried not smoking fags for many's a year so can't really add anything from personal experience

[Mega maniac]

SWIM was wondering if it wasjust him. SWIM can only attribute it to smoking cannabis. Its very odd but SWIM never felt "high" from a ciggerette before but since smoking cannabis he can have just a couple of drags from a ciggerette and feel so high he almost falls over.

SWIM wonders if the nicotine temporarily brings up some THC residue in the body.

[YAYO4ME]

mega look at it this way. it is a good way for swiy to save there weed for another day. thru some trial and error swiy can figure out how much weed to smoke the pull out the cig and sit back.

[JohnnyTheFox]

Everybody I know has the same experience, gaining an extra "edge" from smoking a cigarette while intoxicated that's not present while sober.

[Riconoen {UGC}]

swim experiences an insane headrush and a great tingling all around his body when smoking a cig when he's high on just about anything that increases your dopamine levels. it's probably just more dopamine from the nicotine getting addded to the mix and thus making you even higher.

[Xyber04]

From what swim has learned in drug and alcohol classes, cigaretts are a good choice when getting F'd up! Smoking cigaretts raises your dopamine, dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure. When you "Black out" or near a black out that means ur low on certain neurotransmitters in ur brain (getting stupid) - mainly dopamine. now swim doesnt say "HOORAY FOR CIGS!" becuz they are addicting and can cause health defects. BUT! if you smoke more while drunk (like alot of people do) its better for your brain than not smoking at all, when u drink and get near a black out, your brain says "B*tch i need some stuff. eg dopamine. so your reaction is to light up a cig. and it can slow down and even prevent blackouts, which is good, cuz no one likes forgeting what happend on a fun night!

gosh, i sound really professional in the reply HAH!

[Wflash]

As he said above, SWIM has a friend who would be very interested to hear that. Does SWIXyber04 have a citation or reference SWIM could have?

[Bajeda]

Hmmmm..... Xyber04 that just somehow doesn't sound right.


Think about it, if you are really drunk and you smoke a cigarette what happens? You feel more fucked up. You get a synergistic effect, so the cigarette impacts you more than it would and you become drunker.

Some things can have non-potentiating interactions with each other but alcohol and cigarettes don't seem to be a pair of them.


And I somehow really doubt that cigarettes have anything to do with blackouts at all, judging from my overextensive experience with both smoking and blacking out (in the past at least).


Unless you have some more detailed and coherent explanations for how this works.... ?

[drugsrbad]

Cigarettes only get you f-ed up if you don't smoke normally. A Cigarette is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant so they would help level you out if you normally smoke.

Swim has a theory to why he blacks out. He used to take drugs like benzo's with alcohol and get really f-ed up and blacked out. Now when swim just drinks he wants to get to that same level, so he drinks more and more without feeling good like benzos and alcohol together then he blacks out still feeling crappy. Swim has come to the conclusion that alcohol doesn’t feel good to him any more and he has a problem. He is always the last one up, the drunkest, and if there is alcohol still left he will drink it till it is gone. Drugs ruined swims enjoyment of alcohol a lot. Swim also used to throw up or pass out when swim drank too much so swim wouldn't black out. Nowadays he doesn’t ever pass out unless the beer is gone and hasn't thrown up in years, even nights when he drinks upwards of 25 drinks.

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by drugsrbad

Cigarettes only get you f-ed up if you don't smoke normally. A Cigarette is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant so they would help level you out if you normally smoke

I disagree.

You should know that any combination of drugs is never 1 + 1 = 2

There is a synergistic effect that occurs from mixing pretty much any combination of drugs, and only rarely are effects of a particular drug diminished.


You may not feel cigarettes as much drunk if you are a regular smoker, but they still increase the effects, simply not as much because you have a tolerance. Don't smoke a cigarette for an entire day (or even a matter of hours beforehand) and drink a large amount of alcohol to the point where you are quite drunk and close to where you would stop drinking because you want to maintain somewhat coherence. Then have a cigarette. You can't tell me that you don't feel increased effects of the alcohol, unless you are simply passed out and forget that it was the cigarette that fucked you.

[drugsrbad]

honestly if im drinking and don't have a ciggerette it makes me anxious which in turns makes my stomach kind of queezy. i can drink a 5th of jack then smoke a ciggarette or 20 and feel perfectly fine. It calms me to smoke. otherwise i feel like shit. i still agree with my observation.

[Bajeda]

ok so a cigarette might help reduce certain side effects of alcohol, particularly for habitual smokers as it will reduce the effects of nicotine withdrawal that mix with the effects of the alcohol.

The nicotine will still have a synergistic effect with the alcohol though, so to say that nicotine will help level you out isn't a completely veritable statement as it does potentiate the primary intoxicating effects of alcohol.


Subjectively you may not notice this much depending on how much you generally smoke as well as the circumstances under which the alcohol was consumed.

But you can't say that cigarettes "level you out" or decrease or don't impact the inebrieting quality of the effects of alcohol consumption.

[drugsrbad]

read this it agrees with my arguement http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~psycphys/alconic.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5209990.stm

[geezaman]

SWIM does not usually smoke tobacco in any form and never has, on occasions when he did while sober he much preferred Rollie's to bought ciggies. ciggies made him feel quite nauseous to be honest. but he usually got a nicotine rush whichever.
On the other hand when drunk and smoking, SWIM much prefers ciggies to rollies, neither turn his stomach, and both can give him an immense rush for over 5 mins. For the past 6 months SWIM has deliberately only smoked while drunk occasionally, in the hope of retaining the rush, so far it still occurs.

[sherm]

Smoking and drinking go hand in hand. It's very easy to smoke too much and you must learn to moderate your smoking while drinking. The next day your lungs will feel it.

[mute]

i allways have to be constantly smoking a fag when im pissed... if i dont then i just go around poncing off people..... sux really