How alcohol could be driving use of little cigars among some men

Men who smoke both cigarettes and little cigars, who want to quit smoking and who report drinking alcohol more frequently are more likely to use little cigars compared to women and to men who drink less alcohol, according to new research published in Addictive Behaviors.

People who reported smoking both cigarettes and little cigars were more likely to be male and younger, were more likely to report using drugs in the past 90 days, and had a lower desire to quit smoking cigarettes, according to the survey of 571 smokers conducted by Sarah Ehlke and Amy Cohn, researchers at the Schroeder Institute® for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative.

“Men who want to quit smoking could be turning to little cigars as a substitute when they are drinking and tempted to smoke because of a mistaken belief that they are less harmful. We need more research into the mechanisms of how tobacco is being used during heavy drinking episodes,” Ehlke said. This could explain the relationship between alcohol use, the desire to quit smoking, and dual use of little cigars and cigarettes among men.