Why Bars Are So Smoky

  • Cigarettes and booze often share each other's company, and Duke University scientists believe they have found a physiological reason why. Even a small amount of alcohol seems to significantly boost the pleasurable effects of nicotine. The researchers are testing drugs that can break this link, hoping to find a treatment that can help people kick both addictions. That's good news, considering that 80% to 90% of alcoholics smoke and alcoholism is 10 times as prevalent among smokers as among nonsmokers.