Tobacco & alcohol

In Scotland, tobacco and alcohol are used by many people in many different ways. This information is intended as a starting point, but if you want to know more or to talk to someone about tobacco or alcohol, contact ASH Scotland or Alcohol Focus Scotland (contact details at the bottom of this page).

How does using tobacco and alcohol affect me?

Around 90% of the adults in Scotland choose to drink alcohol, while just over a third of Scottish adults smoke. Tobacco and alcohol are both drugs. They affect your body and your moods and can lead to problems depending on how and where they are used. Drinking alcohol within the recommended daily limits of 2 to 3 units of alcohol for women and 3 to 4 for men (see below for what's a unit of alcohol) will not significantly damage your health. For men and women over 40 there is evidence to show that drinking 1-2 units of alcohol a day will help to prevent coronary heart disease. Smoking any amount of tobacco, however, is always harmful to your health.

Tobacco

  • contains an addictive substance, nicotine, which can make it difficult to quit smoking
  • is responsible for an estimated one in five deaths in Scotland
  • the health risks increase with the amount you smoke and your exposure to smoke.

Alcohol

  • around 200,000 people in Scotland are drinking at levels that are harmful
  • is responsible for an estimated one in every five admissions to male medical wards
  • is involved directly and indirectly in the break-up of many families in Scotland.

When both are used together the risks are often magnified. Many house fires are caused through cigarettes being dropped when someone is drowsy through drinking, and the risk of developing some cancers is multiplied among people who drink and smoke.

How could my drinking/smoking affect others?

Alcohol and tobacco are often used as ways to relieve stress but they can end up making life more stressful. Both are best avoided if you are pregnant. Although you can legally buy and use tobacco and alcohol at age 18, your drinking and smoking may affect other people.

  • being drunk can make you uncoordinated and uninhibited - meaning you are more likely to put yourself and others at risk
  • other people's smoke can trigger asthma attacks and can be dangerous for young children, especially babies

A UNIT OF ALCOHOL IS = either
1/2 PINT OF ORDINARY STRENGTH BEER, LAGER OR CIDER;
or 1 x 25MLS PUB MEASURE OF SPIRITS eg GIN, VODKA, WHISKY;
or 1 x SMALL GLASS OF WINE

What can I do right now?

If you are trying to cut down your drinking, you might find that you smoke more than usual for a while. Or you may be thinking about stopping smoking, but feel you are not ready to stop yet. Here are a few hints which may help:

  • avoid drinking or smoking on an empty stomach
  • space your alcoholic drinks with soft drinks
  • work out how much you drink and aim to get your drinking down to the daily recommended limits
  • use nicotine inhalers, gum or patches to replace cigarettes
  • if you are still smoking, smokeonly half the cigarette and stub it out
  • leave longer gaps between cigarettes.

Staying safe

  • keep cigarettes and alcohol out of children's reach
  • avoid the risk of causing fires when you are drinking and smoking by not becoming so drunk that you lose control of what you are doing.

Further thoughts

  • thinking about why you use tobacco and alcohol and what they mean in your life can help you decide about changes you want to make
  • research shows that drinking alcohol makes people more likely to want to smoke, but stopping smoking is unlikely to make someone go back to problem drinking
  • some cigarettes are marked as light or low tar, but they can be just as harmful as normal cigarettes
  • do what you can, not what you can't - for example, decide to have a few alcohol free days a week or to keep one room in your house free from smoking
  • it is never too late to stop smoking or to change your drinking habits.

For further information, contact:

Alcohol Focus Scotland
166 Buchanan Street
Glasgow
G1 2LW
Tel: 0141 572 6700
Fax: 0141 333 1606
email: enquiries@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk
website: www.alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk

Action on Smoking and Health (Scotland)
8 Frederick Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2HB
Tel: 0131 225 4725
Fax: 0131 220 6604
email: ashscotland@ashscotland.org.uk

This information was produced by ASH Scotland and The Scottish Council on Alcohol (now Alcohol Focus Scotland) in 1998 with the support of the Health Education Board for Scotland.