Smoking and drinking don’t mix

Although many people who smoke do so while drinking alcohol, US researchers have discovered that most of these people are unaware of the interaction between the two drugs. The researchers found that nicotine can lower the concentration of alcohol in the blood making it necessary to drink more alcohol in order to reach a state of intoxication. Alcohol causes damage to many organs of the body when it is broken down and can also irreparably damage the areas of the brain which control memory and balance. Although the researchers are reluctant to state that the effect cigarettes and alcohol have on each other in humans is the same as they have found in rats, they believe that drinking and smoking together could have as harmful effect on the body as mixing prescription drugs.