Associations between binge drinking frequency and tobacco use among young adults

Tobacco use is greater among young adults who binge drink; yet there is limited research on tobacco use characteristics among different types of binge drinkers based on frequency. We aimed to characterize this relationship among young adults (18-25 years old) who used both substances in the past month (smoked ≥ 1 cigarette, and drank ≥ 1 alcoholic beverage) using an anonymous online survey. Participants (N = 1405, 65.0% male) were grouped based on binge drinking frequency and compared for tobacco use characteristics and demographics using bivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regression. Binge drinking frequency groups were: non-binge drinkers who consumed alcohol (0 days; 27.5%); occasional (1-3 days; 37.9%); intermediate (4-8 days; 21.9%); and frequent (9 + days; 12.7%) binge drinkers. Comparing each binge drinking group to non-binge drinkers: Both occasional and frequent binge drinkers smoked more cigarettes per day (p = 0.001; p = 0.002); frequent binge drinkers reported greater temptations to smoke in positive affective/social situations (p = 0.02); intermediate binge drinkers were less likely to have a tobacco abstinence goal (p = 0.03) but more likely to have made a serious tobacco quit attempt; all of the binge groups were more likely to be social smokers (all p < 0.01). Overall, we also found a high rate of smoking on binge drinking days. Individuals smoked cigarettes on 85.7% ± 32.9% of days they binge drank. Extent of binge drinking (not just prevalence) is an important factor influencing smoking characteristics in young adults.