The present study is the first to report associations between the SNP rs2948694 in the GHSR gene and AUDIT scores as well as smoking. The association to smoking was not mediated by the association to AUDIT and vice versa. The data are in line with our previous studies in which the minor allele of rs2948694 was associated with increased risk of amphetamine dependence (Suchankova et al. 2013a) as well as increased body mass index in heavy alcohol‐consuming individuals (Landgren et al. 2008). The present study further reports a significant association between a proxy SNP for rs2948694 and GHSR expression in the prefrontal cortex of the human brain, providing the first evidence for a possible functional role of this SNP. The previous association between the rs4684677 SNP and composite score of drug use from the addiction severity index (Suchankova et al. 2013a) was not backed up by the current study. Nevertheless, current and previous association studies report that the rs2948694 may be of importance for reward‐ and dependence‐related phenotypes.
