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Problems With Alcohol & Smoking

Alcohol and smoking are related to many adverse health effects. The combination of heavy alcohol use and smoking raises the risks of many illnesses and diseases. Heavy alcohol use varies depending on gender, size and weight, but is usually regarded as more than one drink per day for a woman and two drinks per day for a man.

  1. Memory

    • Smoking and alcohol use have been shown to cause memory problems with consistent use. Alcohol hurts the ability of an individual to make new long-term memories. Alcohol also affects short-term memories, such as when an individual experiences a blackout while drinking. Smoking lowers the amount of oxygen that the brain receives, which can cause damage that leads to memory loss. Some of the chemicals in cigarettes, such as toluene, also contribute to memory problems, including slowed memory recognition.

    Cancer

    • Alcohol and smoking increase the risk for many types of cancer. Alcohol has been linked to increases in mouth, throat, larynx, colon, esophageal and liver cancer. Heavy drinking increases the risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Alcohol damages body tissues and depletes the body of vitamins that help to prevent cancer. Smoking is highly linked with an increased risk for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Smoking also increases the risk of many other types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, throat, kidney, pancreas, bladder and cervix.

    Acidity and Heartburn

    • Both alcohol and smoking can contribute to problems with stomach acidity and heartburn. Common symptoms of heartburn include headaches, burning in the lower chest, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. Acidity has been associated with such problems as damaged food pipes, gastrointestinal bleeding, colitis, gastritis and bile reflux. Alcohol can contribute to these problems by loosening the valve that keeps acid in the stomach. When a person drinks alcohol, the amount of acid in the stomach increases. Smoking can contribute to these problems by weakening the lower part of the food pipe, damaging upper airways and harming salivary glands that help with healthy digestion.

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