…well, sort of.
Ever notice your friends smoke cigarettes when they drink, but not when they’re sober? Ever wonder why? Like everything else, there is a motivating factor. Nicotine and alcohol share addictive properties but in combination the effect elevates pleasure centers x2!
Heres how: Smoking in combination with drinking increases levels of the “do-all” neurotransmitter dopamine. Elevation of dopamine effects a collection of neurons within the striatum, a subcortical part of the forebrain, called the nucleus accumbens. In turn the nucleus accumbens mediates the pleasure center of our brain. Alcohol and nicotine, as well as other drugs of abuse, increase dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, which is a key reinforcing aspect of addiction.
While one part of our brain is pleasuring itself, another is experiencing a game of push and pull.
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is a naturally occurring enzyme that breaks down monoamine neutrotransmitters such as dopamine. MAO inhibition is a property of nicotine and alcohol and when consumed together the buildup of dopamine ensures a more pleasurable outcome.
Now, this is definitely not a reason to start smoking cigarettes while you’re drinking. The side effects of the drug combination include hypertensive crisis i.e. high blood pressure, tachycardia, hypomania, seizures, hepatoxicity just to name a few.
And now you know.
By Keyana Azari
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