Can you quit more than one addiction at the same time?

Key takeaways

• A Cochrane review found offering tobacco treatment was not linked to any difference in abstinence from alcohol and other drugs in people in treatment or recovery.
• A 2004 meta-analysis of 19 trials linked stop-smoking support during addiction treatment to a 25% higher likelihood of long-term abstinence from alcohol and illicit drugs.
• In a large national sample, quitting smoking was associated with 42% greater odds of recovery from another substance use disorder, though cause and effect isn't proven.
• Most of this research is about tobacco plus alcohol or drugs; evidence on other combinations is limited.
• If you are physically dependent on alcohol or take benzodiazepines, don't stop suddenly. Get medical advice first.

Does quitting smoking hurt recovery from alcohol or drugs?

This is the combination researchers have studied most, because the overlap is large. NIDA notes that most studies find smoking rates of 65-85% among people in addiction treatment. For a long time, a common worry was that asking people to give up tobacco as well would overload them and put their recovery at risk.

The evidence has not borne that worry out. A Cochrane systematic review (Apollonio and colleagues, 2016) found that offering tobacco cessation treatment to people in treatment or recovery for alcohol or drug dependence was not associated with a difference in their abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. The same review found that the tobacco treatments did help people stop using tobacco, both while they were in treatment and later in recovery, and its authors concluded that tobacco treatment including medication should be part of clinical practice.

Can quitting several things at once actually help?

Some evidence points that way. An earlier meta-analysis of 19 randomized trials (Prochaska and colleagues, 2004) found that stop-smoking support given during addiction treatment was associated with a 25% increased likelihood of long-term abstinence from alcohol and illicit drugs. In that analysis, though, the effect on smoking itself was no longer significant at long-term follow-up, a reminder that staying off tobacco usually needs ongoing support.

In 2025, NIDA reported research in which adults who smoked and were addicted to alcohol or other drugs were more likely to reach sustained remission if they also quit smoking. Moving from current to former smoking was associated with 42% greater odds of being in recovery from a non-tobacco substance use disorder. NIDA's release said this underscores the importance of addressing different addictions together rather than in isolation, while the researchers noted that further work is needed to establish cause and effect.

What about combinations like gambling, porn, or weed?

Most of the research above looks at tobacco alongside alcohol or other drug treatment. Comparable trials on quitting other combinations at the same time, such as gambling and drinking, are much harder to find, so the honest answer for those is that the evidence is limited.

One principle does carry over: NIDA says treatment should address the needs of the whole person. If several habits feed each other, it is reasonable to raise all of them with a doctor or counselor rather than tackling one and ignoring the rest.

How do you quit more than one thing safely?

A few practical steps make a multi-habit quit safer and easier to sustain:

• Talk to a doctor before stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines. Stopping suddenly can be harmful if your body has become dependent.
• Ask about stop-smoking medication. The Cochrane review's authors recommended tobacco treatment that includes medication.
• Notice which habits happen together, such as drinking and smoking at the same time, and plan for those moments in advance.
• Expect setbacks. Smokefree.gov notes that most people need multiple quit attempts, so a slip on one habit is something to learn from, not a reason to give up on the others.