And you thought marijuana was a gateway drug. According to a recent study, if you smoke cigarettes, you’re more likely to drink heavily, maintain a poor diet, and develop mental-health problems—along with the requisite breathing and heart complications.
Researchers from the Cardiff Institute of Society and Health analyzed 13,000 smokers, non-smokers, and ex-smokers. Smokers, especially men, tend to drink way more than non-smokers.
A study has found that smokers have unhealthier lifestyles than either non-smokers or those who have given up. For example, half of all smokers drink more than official limits recommend, but under 40 percent of those who have never smoked do. That trend is especially pronounced in men. And while 35 percent of smokers binge drink, only 23% of non-smokers and 31 percent of ex-smokers do.
If that wasn’t enough, smokers also eat like crap and are more likely to develop mental illness.
Similarly, while 39 percent of non-smokers eat the five portions of fruit and vegetables a day everyone is advised, only 28 percent of cigarette users do. The differences are particularly stark in mental health. While 8 percent of both non-smokers and ex-smokers have been treated for some form of mental illness, 14 percent of smokers have been.
Only 10 percent of male smokers were treated for mental problems, compared to 18 percent of female smokers. Male smokers are also less likely to suffer from respiratory problems and arthritis than their female counterparts.
So, in short, smoking might not be the best idea.