All volunteered to abstain from cigarettes for four days. But if we look at what they chose, they chose more nicotine. They don't really know why they prefer it. A lot of smokers don't really understand why they smoke, but they feel they have to. Those with a history of alcohol problems were willing to pay more than their counterparts, Rose says.
Statistics show a strong link between alcoholism and smoking.
About 90 percent of alcoholics smoke, compared with 24 percent of the general adult population, according to Rose and figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.