MARRIAGE CAN'T BREAK NICOTINE ADDICTION [02/04]

Young adults who used illegal drugs or alcohol as teens tend to cut down or quit when confronted by the responsibilities of marriage and family, and divorce can drive them back to their old habits -- but not even marriage seems to make much of a dent on smoking behavior.

This is the conclusion of a study compiled by five researchers at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. The findings appear in a new book, "Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use in Young Adulthood: The Impacts of New Freedoms and New Responsibilities," by Dr. Jerald G. Bachman and four colleagues.

To measure what the researchers called the "marriage effect," the study tracked more than 33,000 young adults. Couples who live together without becoming engaged or marrying do not appear to clean up their lifestyles, the researchers found.

The study subjects who married did not experience the marriage effect when it came to smoking. The researchers found about 18 percent of the group smoked while they were single and about 16 percent after marriage. Women, in part because of pregnancy, were more prone to quit cigarettes.

The most difficult substance for young adults to quit is tobacco, the researchers reported. Among those who smoked a half-pack or more of cigarettes every day in high school, nearly two-thirds were still smoking in their early 30's, though some said they intended to stop. Women were more likely to quit than men, particularly as they had children.

One reason for the difficulty of quitting smoking probably is the addictive effect of nicotine. Most social drinkers are not addicted to alcohol, while most smokers do become addicted to nicotine.

ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH (ASH) A National Legal-Action Antismoking Organization Entirely Supported by Your Tax-Deductible Contributions 2013 H Street, NW / Washington, DC 20006 / (202) 659-4310