Smoking with Drinking: Harmful Effects and Tips to Avoid Addiction

Craving a smoke and a drink on a rainy, boring day?

Or catching up with your old friends over a small drinking sesh?

Feels fun and relaxing, right? 

Behind the casual drinking session lurks a monster waiting to devour your good health and happy living. The combined effect of smoking with drinking can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health in multiple ways.

In this article, we will dive deep into the harsh effects of this double act and identify potential means of freeing yourself from this addictive habit.

Two Problems, Multitudes of Harmful Effects:

Cigarettes and Alcohol are individually harmful to your body, but when combined, their effects are deadly. They work together synergistically to damage your body in multiple ways. Some of the common damages experienced by people who have the habit of smoking while drinking are as follows:

1. Besties with infections: When you smoke and drink, the cigarette directly affects your lungs and airways, thus damaging lung tissues. The immune system sends antibodies to reverse this effect and protect you. But drinking greatly weakens your immunity, therefore preventing antibody protection.

The result? Your body gets plagued with respiratory infections!

2. A Troubled Heart: Smoking and Drinking are individually proven to be major risk factors for heart problems and stroke. Especially when they are indulged in excess, they contribute to a rising blood pressure that further affects your cardiovascular condition.

3. Potentially Cancerous: Cigarettes and Alcohol are both cancerous substances that increase your risk of developing mouth, lung, throat, head, and neck cancers.

4. Weak Immune System: The combined effect of smoking with drinking leads to a weakened immune system that further increases your risk of contracting infections and illnesses.

5. Attack against Detoxification: The liver is the primary detoxification organ that protects you from innumerable harmful substances. Smoking with drinking majorly hinders the liver from performing its duties and causes diseases like fatty liver and liver cirrhosis.

Smoking affects your body’s health, but does the damage stop there?

A healthy mind is always associated with a healthy body. Without a robust physical condition, your mental health cannot flourish.

So, from the above facts, we are sure to contract multiple physical problems that are eventually going to affect our mental peace.

But smoking and drinking do not just stop there. 

Studies have shown that people who smoke and drink are prone to depression, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. Both your mental and physical health goes down the drain!

What started as a socializing habit eventually drains you of any semblance of a healthy and happy living!

Breaking yourself out of this degenerative cycle:

Now that you know the cons of having these habits, you must be wondering how you can break yourself out of this downward spiral. Although stopping this might seem like an impossible task, the reality cannot be further away.

There have been many cases of successful patients who have broken free of their addictions and have moved on to live a normal life. Some of how you can achieve the same are as follows:

1. What triggers you? 

Breaking the cycle starts with getting to know yourself better. Find out what makes you tick!

When do you feel like having a drink and a smoke?

When you are socializing with your friends? When you are bored with mundane tasks? Or when you are out on a relaxing walk?

Understanding what situations are prone to make you indulge in these activities can help you develop coping mechanisms. With healthy coping mechanisms in hand, you can break your habit.

2. Plan before you act 

Are you going to be attending a social event that is going to include drinks and smoking?

Or going out with a bunch of friends who are drinkers?

Plan! If an event is going to involve smoking or drinking, try your best to avoid attending such events.

In the event of attending, make sure to always have an exit strategy. Bring non-alcoholic drinks that you enjoy. Ask your teetotaller friend to tag along with you and keep you accountable. Plan a way to extract yourself from the situation if your cravings become overwhelming. Avoiding smoking and alcoholism is the better approach.

Small steps lead to great goals.

3. Replicate the emotion

Self-reflect on yourself to identify what emotions smoking and drinking bring you.

Does it make you relaxed?

Or fill you up with confidence?

Try to identify hobbies and activities that provide you with the same satisfaction but without the downside of smoking or drinking!

Take a walk, Meditate, or indulge in nature – find a way to unwind that best suits you.

4. Seek out your support system 

There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Especially when you are recovering from smoking and drinking, you need all the help you can get.

Do not hesitate to consult with your doctor or therapist or join a support group specifically for smokers and drinkers to avail all the help you require. 

FAQs: Answering all your questions regarding Smoking and Drinking:

1. I am a social drinker and smoker; should I be worried as well?

There is no harmless limit when it comes to smoking or drinking. Even indulging in these habits occasionally and in meager quantities can have health impacts and increase your risk of lung infections and heart diseases.

2. Can I vape instead of cigarettes?

While vaping is marketed as a safer alternative, at the end of the day, it is simply inhaling unknown chemicals. The health risks of this are still under investigation, and vapes being safer than cigarettes are highly debatable. Your best option is to avoid both.

3. Is there a safe amount of Alcohol or cigarettes that I can consume?

Unfortunately, no. Drinking or smoking in meager amounts is still harmful to your body, and combined, they are a bigger health risk. The only way to avoid any damage is to limit their consumption as much as possible.

4. I may be addicted to smoking and drinking. How can I get myself out of this habit?

Although it might feel terrifying at first, remember that you are not alone, and redeeming yourself is not an impossible task. Seek out the help of doctors or therapists who can help you develop a personalized plan to get rid of this habit. With the right professional guidance and dedication on your part, a fresh start is close.

Conclusion:

A happy night out or a weekend celebration with your friends need not come at the price of your health. There are enjoyable activities that spark fun, laughter, and beautiful bonds. So raise a glass (of mocktail maybe?) to your and your loved ones’ good health.

As we say ITS NOW OR NEVER!