Behavioral Economic Assessment of Alcohol and Cigarette Demand in Smokers With Alcohol Use Disorder

Behavioral economic purchase tasks are widely used to assess drug demand in substance use disorder research. Comorbid alcohol use is common among cigarette smokers and associated with greater difficulty in quitting smoking. However, demand for alcohol and cigarettes in this population has not been fully characterized. The present study addressed this gap by examining alcohol and cigarette demand among treatment-seeking smokers with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Alcohol and cigarette demand was assessed among 99 smokers with AUD. We conducted Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlational analyses on the demand indices. Participants showed higher demand for alcohol than for cigarettes, as evidenced lower elasticity (resistance to increasing price) and higher O (maximum response output for drug). PCA revealed a two-factor structure (Persistence and Amplitude) for both alcohol and cigarette demand indices. Cigarette-related demand indices were positively correlated with nicotine dependence, but alcohol-related demand indices were not associated with alcohol dependence, suggesting dissociation between alcohol demand and use behaviors. Our results suggest that smokers with AUD were more resistant to price elevations in relation to reducing alcohol consumption as compared to cigarette consumption, suggesting preferential demand for alcohol over cigarettes. However, it is unclear how acute substance exposure/withdrawal impacts the demand indices. Potentially differential alcohol and cigarette demands among smokers with AUD should be considered in the concurrent treatment of smoking and alcohol.