Discontinuing tobacco use and alcohol consumption has been shown to lower blood
                               pressure. The exact mechanisms are not fully understood, but blood pressure (especially                                systolic) always transiently increases following alcohol or nicotine consumption. Besides,                                abstention from cigarette smoking is important for people with hypertension because it                                reduces the risk of many dangerous outcomes of hypertension, such as stroke and heart                                attack. Note that coffee drinking (caffeine ingestion) also increases blood pressure                                transiently but does not produce chronic hypertension. |