Alcoholism At Large

Rates of smoking and coffee drinking are much higher among alcoholics in recovery than the general population, a study at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has confirmed. Researchers found that about 88 percent of U.S. AAs drank coffee. Nearly 57 percent smoked at least a half pack of cigarettes a day. "Drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes are part of the culture of AA, but we knew little about the degree to which this occurred," said head researcher Peter Martin, Vanderbilt Addiction Center director. "AA members seem to be going in the right direction by reducing smoking and perhaps increasing their coffee drinking." Researchers are examining whether such changes are predictive of recovery from alcoholism.