Smoking and drinking among college students: “It's a package deal”
Introduction
Substance use, including tobacco and alcohol use, has been reported to peak in early adulthood (McKee et al., 2004, Reed et al., 2007, Weitzman and Chen, 2005). The college years appear to be a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and movement into regular patterns of use (Bachman et al., 1997, Chassin et al., 1992). Results of national studies in the U.S. have shown that approximately 30% of college students’ report having smoked in the past 30 days, and 40% report having smoked in the past year (Johnston et al., 2001, Rigotti et al., 2000). Smoking rates among young adults who do not attend college are higher than smoking rates among college students (Johnston et al., 2002), although the patterns of smoking appear to vary. College smokers are more likely to be non-daily smokers, meaning that they smoke more in social situations when compared to their non-college peers (Harrison et al., 2008, Moran et al., 2004).
Nearly 50% of college students in the U.S. report engaging in heavy drinking in the past year and much concern has been expressed about this harmful behavior (Johnston et al., 1998). College students tend to drink more heavily than their non-college peers (Gfroerer et al., 1997, McCabe et al., 2005, Schulenberg and Maggs, 2002).
Alcohol consumption and tobacco use are known to be strongly related behaviors (Bobo and Husten, 2000, McKee et al., 2004, Weitzman and Chen, 2005, Acosta et al., 2008), and the association between these two substances has been found to become stronger with the heavier use of either substance (McKee et al., 2004, Harrison and McKee, 2008, Rose et al., 2004). Recent studies have found that smoking urges increase rapidly following heavy drinking, even among light smokers (King and Epstein, 2005).
A better understanding of the social contexts in which smoking occurs and the utility functions it serves in the lives of young adults may help enhance tobacco control research and practice (Poland et al., 2006). In a previous paper, we discussed social contexts of smoking associated with stress among college students, including during exams and managing social relationships (Nichter et al., 2007). In this article, we focus on another social context – parties – where smoking occurs in the context of alcohol use. Data presented draw on qualitative research and highlights the perceived social and physical utility functions of smoking and drinking at parties. Although there is an extensive literature on alcohol and tobacco use among college students, little is known about how smoking serves as a consumption event that facilitates social interaction and the perceived benefits of their combined use.
Section snippets
Participants
This paper draws on data from a longitudinal study of college students (2002–2003) participating in the University Project of the Tobacco Etiology Research Network (UpTERN). A complete description of study rationale, design and participant selection has been previously reported (Colder et al., 2008, Dierker et al., 2006, Tiffany et al., 2008). The study was conducted at a large mid-western university, where first-year college students (freshmen) were followed through the academic year to
Social acceptability of smoking and drinking
As previously reported, quantitative analysis revealed that both smoking and drinking patterns differed based on the day of the week, with significantly higher levels of use reported on weekends (Friday and Saturday). Drinking on Thursday was significantly greater than mean drinking levels from Sunday to Wednesday (Colder et al., 2006). The average number of cigarettes smoked on the weekend nights was approximately five per night for both males and females (Nichter et al., 2006).
A distinction
Discussion
College freshmen find themselves in new social environments where they have the opportunity to explore their identity through various presentations of self. Smoking and drinking play a role in the process of self-exploration by conveying information about who you are and who you are not. A norm of smoking, which has not previously been documented, appears to be in place on college campuses, in which smoking is deemed more acceptable in particular social contexts, specifically when drinking at
Role of funding source
Funding for this study was provided by the Tobacco Etiology Research Network (TERN) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Contributors
All authors contributed to the collection, analysis and interpretation of the qualitative data presented in this paper. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict of interest
None.
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The Tobacco Etiology Research Network (TERN) includes: Richard Clayton (Chair), David Abrams, Robert Balster, Linda Collins, Ronald Dahl, Brian Flay, Gary Giovino, George Koob, Robert McMahon, Kathleen Merikangas, Mark Nichter, Saul Shiffman, Stephen Tiffany, Dennis Prager, Melissa Segress, Christopher Agnew, Craig Colder, Lisa Dierker, Eric Donny, Lorah Dorn, Thomas Eissenberg, Brian Flaherty, Lan Liang, Nancy Maylath, Mimi Nichter, Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, William Shadel, and Laura Stroud.