Coffee and smoking: what's the connection?

The image of the coffee-drinking, cigarette-toting intellectual at a cafe, holding a book and remaining oblivious to passerby is not one that is new to anyone. Drinking coffee and smoking have always gone together in conventional wisdom, but nobody really knows why.

It often amounts to the addictive properties of both nicotine and caffeine, and it is generally thought that coffee drinkers are more prone to the addictive effects of nicotine and vice versa. But is this just a case of misapplied logic, at least as far as addiction is concerned?

The conjunction between coffee-drinking and smoking has been attributed to various causes, ranging from the effect of warm coffee on the throat, allegedly opening up pores that make smoking more pleasurable when done immediately after or during consumption of a cup of coffee. Another reason people associate the two is because the smell of warm roasted coffee and cigarette smoke is said to be similar.

There have been many medical studies conducted on this supposed connection. However, the connection seems to be more rooted in psychological factors than any real chemical connection between nicotine and caffeine. The fact that they are both addictive substances definitely contributes to their high consumption rate together, but while this may feed off addiction to either of the substances, it has not concretely indicated anything other than an association with the two that is largely cultural.

Many Quit smoking campaigns have focused on this connection, especially because tea and coffee breaks are often seen as smoking breaks as well, and this adds to the sense of connection between the two substances when being consumed. This connection also makes the habit hard to break, at least the case of smoking, since by association drinking tea or coffee will automatically aggravate cravings for nicotine. However, complete abstinence from both substances has also been shown to be problematic, as well as increasing the rate of failure to quit.

Other studies focusing on the chemical reactions between nicotine and caffeine have also shown that smokers tend to drink far more coffee than non-smokers, since their ability to break down caffeine is higher, and therefore they need to consume more in order to achieve that "hit". This has also been reported among test subjects, whose response has been that cigarette smoking seems to modify the effects of caffeine and make the highs and lows less intense.

The significance of these studies though, lies in the effect that nicotine, caffeine and other addictive substances influence behaviour, as well as how they interact with other medication. Both these influences remain important factors in the treatment of both addictive disorders, as well as examining the extent lifestyles modify and control the behaviour of a social subject.