People who use snus, a slightly moist powder used tobacco product would run twice the actual risk of developing an alcohol dependency when compared with those who are non-users. Nicotine dependency in any form would definitely lead to dependency on alcohol as per the studies.

The researchers added that the more one uses snus, the higher the risk. "This is the first time research has succeeded in showing that middle-aged people, who use snus run an increased risk of developing alcohol dependency," said Margareta Norberg, adjunct lecturer at the Umea University in Sweden.

The current study included 21,000 people, who were aged 30, 40 or 50 between 1991-1997. None of the participants then showed signs of alcohol dependency. A quarter of the men, 25 percent, and slightly less than 4 percent of the women used snus upon the first examination. Men showed slightly higher figures for alcohol dependency than women. In total, 499 men and 257 women developed alcohol dependency.

Those who, upon the first investigation, who were aged 50, had a lower risk than those aged 30. That there is a connection association between smoking and alcohol dependency has been known for a long time, says a study that appeared in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.