Do you smoke?

Rayne · Jun 22, 2016

I used to smoke and quitting was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Talk about anxiety while I was going through withdrawal. Whew!!!! It did get better and now I don't see how I smoked. I can't stand it. Please try and quit those nasty things. It will be far better for your health.

AliciaH · Jun 22, 2016

I don't smoke! Thankfully it is one thing I never got involved in. I know a lot of people that do smoke though (or did). I watched my grandmother die from lung cancer, it wasn't pretty. Quit, you can do it.

cecejailer · Jul 11, 2016

I smoke and honestly, it's worsen my anxiety. I mean, it can feel like it's helping when you're craving the hell out of a cigarette, but when you have one and you're done, it's complete **** until you can have the next one. I've switched from industrialized cigs to organic ones, and it's helped both with my addiction (used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day, now I smoke only 3) and my health. I roll my own cigarettes with rolling paper (the same used to roll joints), they're made of rice (some are made of cellulose) and are obviously way less damaging than the awful, awful paper in industrialized cigarettes. Besides, rolling your own cigs is much, much cheaper!

redpanda · Jul 11, 2016

I don't smoke, it's honestly never appealed to me. My eyes and lungs are really sensitive to smoke. I do use cannabis but I vape it for that reason. I've also generally been bothered by the smell of cigarette smoke. I have heard of nicotine contributing to anxiety but I also know it can temporarily calm people down. Good luck, either way. Even if it doesn't help with your anxiety, it's good for your overall health (which could indirectly help your anxiety, anyway!).

amy88 · Jul 11, 2016

I don't now, no. I used to - back when I was a teenager and in my early 20's. I think I used cigarettes as a way to essentially self medicate and try and calm myself down. These days though I would prefer to be as healthy as possible - and smoking is not a great way to do that. In fact, it was honestly starting to make me anxious about my health for smoking, which is part of the reason I made the decision to quit.

Robilas · Jul 11, 2016

I don't now, no. I used to - back when I was a teenager and in my early 20's. I think I used cigarettes as a way to essentially self medicate and try and calm myself down. These days though I would prefer to be as healthy as possible - and smoking is not a great way to do that. In fact, it was honestly starting to make me anxious about my health for smoking, which is part of the reason I made the decision to quit.

I had a similar experience. As a teenager, smoking was both an act of "rebellion" and a way to cope with my anxiety and depression. During my first months as a smoker cigarettes helped me with my anxiety, I must admit it - I was more relaxed in general. Luckily I realized pretty early that smoking just makes things worse, and it was ruining my body and my health while not being a lasting remedy against depression. Now I can't even stand the smell of smoke and I haven't smoked a cigarette in years.

I must agree tho: quitting is really, really hard, one of the most challenging experience in my life.

Xzreplays · Jul 11, 2016

I don't smoke. This is because smoking is not good for your health, it damages your lungs and heart and it causes health problems. When I was younger, my parents always used to say "don't smoke when you grow older" and I have stuck to it. Some of my friends at my age smoke however I can't stand the smell of it. How can someone take actions which can be dangerous to their health? I will never smoke. I don't want to put danger to my body.

joshposh · Jul 12, 2016

I think it's more of an addiction then anything. If you don't get a hit of nicotine in you, you will get jump and anxious. There are other ways to feel complete and a nicotine is not a healthy way to address it. It might seem like a cure but it isn't. It's an addiction to the point where you can't solve problems on your own, and you need to get a hit to calm your nerves.

I good diet and would be a better way to calm your nerves. A protein enriched steak would be a better way to get a hit of good nutrition as opposed to a pack of cigarettes.

mariaanca · Jul 12, 2016

I don't smoke but I have a lot of friends that smoke and it has a negative effect on me as well.

I have always asked my friends why do they smoke? Most of them don't know what to answer, some of them say it is a habit. For some of them when they are stressed the first thing to do is smoke a cigarette.

So in my opinion it's a combination of habit and calming the nerves.

Jean Thomas · Jul 12, 2016

I smoke off and on. It's definitely a bad and expensive habit. But it eases my social anxiety when I'm around others. It's a crutch, for sure.

i quit for about six months last year. Some days I was fine and others I was cranky and jonsing for some menthol.

what made me started smoking again was because of the toxic relationship I was in and my stressful customer service job. I felt alone and cigarettes made me feel less alone in a weird way.

CarlosTL · Jul 12, 2016

I hear a lot of anxiety has to do with smoking cigarettes, what do you think? I smoke and when I don't have one I just go nuts but I think if I gave it a little time i think my anxiety might calm. I'm gonna try that. Only prob is smoking is my anxiety get away.

Specialists say that smoking aggravates your anxiety, and that quitting, no matter how hard it seems, will ease your anxiety.

I can concur this, having been a smoker for several years. I quit in January 2012, and, after the difficult period of adapting, I felt more outgoing and energetic. Though it didn't make the problem disappear, it helped, and was a good start.

I still get episodes of extreme anxiety, loneliness and hopelessness that make me want to smoke again when I get a feeling of being out of oxygen and needing to inhale something, but I know, from the years of smoking that ultimately, it will only lead to more problems and only feeling better for about 30 to 60 minutes.

fuzyon · Jul 12, 2016

My parents told me that they now smoke to make their anxiety go away, I can't say if it's true or not because I've never smoked and I don't want to try it. Despite cigarettes helping my parents they did them more harm than good. They've always struggled financially, they've been suffering from bad friendships and other relationships and it has taken a toll on me as well, not going to lie. As a kid I always struggled because I didn't want my friends to see my parents and where I lived, I honestly hated it but there was nothing I could do about it.

Moroccanbeauty2266 · Jul 13, 2016

I used to smoke a pack a day. There have been many times I was able to stop for a couple months but then I would start again.

However, nowadays if I am really stressed out then I smoke a maximum of 7 cigarettes per day.

I am really trying to stop completely but it is so hard if you face so many challenges and have to take care of so many things on your own because you cannot rely on anyone else.

That has always been my life and by smoking I believe it helps me even though deep down I know it doesn't. It is a big dilemma but I am still hopeful. By the age of 35 I really want to stop completely and live only a healthy lifestyle.

Laneorexorcist · Jul 13, 2016

I used to smoke about 5-6 cigarettes a day and at that time, I just used to smoke when I was sad, which was probably most of the time, lol... but after that episode came anxiety and stress over almost everything and I had cigarettes close to me when I got anxious, so I really linked those two things and now, about 5 years later I stillassociate cigarettes with being calm and relaxed, and even if I don't smoke that much as I used to, sometimes it's still the only thing that relaxes me.

SarahWorksAtHome · Jul 13, 2016

I am a smoker. In the 9 years since my diagnosis I have gone through periods of being a pack and a half a day smoker and periods of not smoking at all for months. There didn't seem to be any effect on my anxiety or panic attacks either way aside from the normal increased agitation when I couldn't smoke. Right now I am smoking a pack a day. Now, I have noticed that when I smoke other brands or cheaper cigarettes (the brand I smoke is a luxury cigarette costing twice as much as many of my friends' brands per pack), I get more antsy, headachey, anxious. Do not know if there is correlation or just my own annoyance causing that.

justsayyes · Jul 13, 2016

I do smoke but not on a daily basis, this is something i do occasionally when I'm overly stressed, the same as drinking. I'm not addicted to these things thank god.

NormaD · Jul 30, 2016

I used to smoke and after having a cigarette, I would get what I thought at the time were heart palpitations. I quit smoking then but now reading this thread I am starting to realize that it may have been anxiety that I was feeling. Anyway, thank goodness I stopped. Terrible habit that...

Sue · Jul 30, 2016

I don't smoke never have. My fiance is a smoker and I know when he doesn't have a cigarette he gets pretty worked up. He quit once for 2 months but he started back. I know people who quit smoking always say it was the hardest thing they ever did. There was a time when there seemed to be a lot more people who smoke. Now a days I know few people who do. Most of my family and friends have quit.

Do you smoke?

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