Quitting smoking leads to quitting illicit substances

NEW YORK (HealthDay News)—People struggling with addiction can increase their chances of success if they also quit smoking, a new study suggests.

Addicts who quit smoking are up to 42 percent more likely to recover, researchers reported in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

These results indicate that smoking cessation programs should be part of virtually all substance abuse treatment options.

“We now have strong evidence from a national sample that quitting cigarette smoking predicts better recovery from other substance use disorders,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

“It underscores the importance of addressing different addictions together, rather than in isolation,” added Volkow, who was not involved in the research.

NIDA partially funded the study.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 2,700 adults with a history of substance use disorder who were followed between 2013 and 2018. These individuals were asked each year whether they smoked or used illicit drugs.

The analysis showed that quitting smoking was associated with a 42% greater likelihood of a person recovering from their drug addiction. Even after scientists accounted for other factors, quitting cigarettes was linked to a 30% greater likelihood of addiction recovery.

“Although the health benefits of quitting smoking are well known, quitting smoking has not been viewed as a high priority in drug addiction treatment programs,” said lead researcher Dr. Wilson Compton, NIDA deputy director.

"This finding strengthens the case for including smoking cessation as part of addiction treatment," he added.

However, the researchers noted that because this was an observational study, a direct causal relationship between quitting smoking and recovery from addiction could not be established.

More research is needed to establish a causal connection and to discover the best ways to support smoking cessation among people in treatment or recovering from addiction.

At a glance

Joint approach

Dr. Nora Volkow says the study's findings "underscore the importance of addressing different addictions together, rather than in isolation."

It's not cause and effect

However, a direct causal relationship between quitting smoking and recovery from addiction could not be established.