Nicotine and alcohol act on the same brain region i.e. mesocorticolimbic system (MDS). It contains the neurotransmitter dopamine. Acute nicotine and alcohol cause an imbalance within the MDS. It is because of increasing dopamine levels through direct and indirect modulation of dopaminergic neurons.
Alcoholism made a radical consequence on the prefrontal cortex. The effect of chronic smoking on the prefrontal cortex may be stronger than what it expected earlier. The combination of smoking and drinking may aggravate the negative long-term effects drug on the human brain.
Future research of these dual effects in different other brain regions can make a way to therapeutic solutions. Pharmaceuticals may help to decrease these effects, ultimately helping people to stop drinking or stop smoking. Hopefully this research will also help people to realize about these addictions as physical diseases.
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