SMOKING MAY HINDER ALCOHOLISM RECOVERY
For people in alcoholism recovery, not smoking may be a boon to
the brain.
A new study of recovering alcoholics shows bigger strides in
mental test scores in nonsmokers than smokers.
The study, published in July's edition of the journal
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, included 25
recovering alcoholics, 12 of whom were current smokers.
Participants, who lived in San Francisco, were about 45-57 years
old, on average. Most were male veterans.
The researchers included Timothy Durazzo, PhD, of the San
Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center and the
University of San Francisco's radiology department.
Durazzo's team tested participants' mental skills, including
learning, memory, and efficient thinking.