Advertising has been found to influence the consumption of tobacco and alcohol products among adults and youth. Several marketing practice like pricing and availability also increase the consumption of such products among the young masses.

Advertising has been found to influence consumption among adults as well as youth. A meta-analysis of 48 studies that examined cigarette sales in relation to advertising and other factors, such as price, found that national spending on tobacco advertising was significantly related to tobacco sales. In another study that used data from a national survey of adults, researchers estimated that a 50 per cent increase in the price of cigarettes could cause a 12.5 per cent decrease in cigarette use.


The findings suggest that younger smokers would be more likely than older smokers to quit smoking in response to a price increase and that Hispanic smokers and African-American smokers would be more likely than White smokers to quit. In their review, experts concluded that increased alcohol taxes and prices generally results in decreased alcohol consumption and related problems. In addition, they reported that research has shown a strong positive relationship between the increased availability of alcoholic beverages and the consequences of alcohol use and abuse.

Restrictions on the sale and use of alcohol have had complex and controversial effects on alcohol use. Although some groups continue to promote tighter restrictions on use, others argue that the prohibition amply demonstrated the ineffectiveness of legal bans on drinking.


The extent of tobacco and alcohol use may also be influenced by stress. One theory suggests that people are more likely to use drugs, especially multiple drugs when unable to cope with stressful situations. A 1995 review of the literature concluded that adults often use alcohol and tobacco for similar reasons, but the coping functions for alcohol use are more likely to involve distraction and forgetting, whereas the coping functions for smoking were related to increased attention and concentration.


Although much has been learned about sociocultural influences on adult tobacco use, the available literature does not satisfactorily explain the substantial variability in prevalence of smoking within the alcohol use levels. Some insights on possible factors associated with this variability can be obtained by considering various levels of alcohol use sequentially.