Our data, collected between 2014 and 2021 from a representative survey in England, showed a strong positive relationship between alcohol consumption and smoking. Past-year smoking prevalence was 63% (current smoking prevalence of 58%) among people at risk of alcohol dependence and was 19% (current smoking, 18%) among non-drinkers. Prevalence increased across the full range of AUDIT scores, rising gradually up to an estimated 81% (current smoking, 76%) in the heaviest drinkers in 2020. While the confidence intervals were reasonably wide for both past-year and current smoking prevalence for the group of people at risk of alcohol dependence, these were still substantially higher (even at the lower boundary) than the much more precise estimate for both drinkers not at risk of alcohol dependence and non-drinkers, giving us confidence in these results.
