The rate of liquid-phase gastric emptying was determined in seven smokers from the rate of paracetamol absorption after abstaining overnight from cigarettes, and again after smoking two cigarettes within 30 min. There were no significant differences between the maximum paracetamol concentration, the time to reach maximum paracetamol concentration, and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from 0 to 120 min on the two occasions, indicating that abstaining from cigarette smoking had no major effect on gastric emptying in habitual smokers.