Do Cigarettes Really Help With Anxiety and Depression?
I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety since I was a teenager, and for years I’ve used them as an excuse to justify my smoking habit.
When I have a cigarette, it has an immediate “relaxing” effect on me. Although nicotine is a physical stimulant, it feels like it’s calming me down and reducing my stress.
I stopped smoking cigarettes a little over a month ago, after over a decade of on-and-off smoking (mostly on). I was a pack-a-day smoker and the transition to being nicotine-free has been rough.
In my first few weeks without cigarettes, I noticed my depression and anxiety getting significantly worse. I find myself getting anxious more easily, often without any identifiable cause. I’ve also been crying a lot, over the tiniest things, which is very unusual for me.
I’ve had to keep reminding myself that this is a symptom of the withdrawal and that it won’t last forever. It’s been incredibly hard to resist going back to smoking when I know that just a couple of cigarettes would make the symptoms subside.
As I’ve worked on staying smoke-free, I’ve been wondering about whether cigarettes even really do reduce anxiety and depression. I realized that I’ve always taken for granted that cigarettes help me manage these issues, without actually looking into…
