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Question for smokers and ex-smokers

1K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  Aries33 
#1 ·
Did you ever try to quit smoking, and found that your SA became worse?

I have chronic mild depression, and SA. I smoked for 20 years, and I recently quit for 53 days. I know that nicotine affects a lot neurological activities (including dopamine release), and I knew it would be normal to feel depressed and anxious.

But it just kept getting worse. I went into a deep depression and an anxiety tailspin. I would have crying spells a few times a day because life felt so pointless, and I had a major anxiety freakout at work about the seating arrangement in my office. I was leaving the house even less than I usually do. My psychiatrist advised that I go on a nicotine patch or gum (I wasn't using any of that) because I guess my brain just wasn't adjusting well.

I ended up going back to smoking and within 2 days, my depression and SA subsided back to their normal levels. This was a couple weeks ago. I think nicotine and smoking was a major way of suppressing / coping with stress, and I just flipped out when it was gone.

Has this happened to anyone else? Do any of you feel like smoking is crutch for anxiety? How do you deal with it? I want to quit smoking for good, but I can't go through that again.
 
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#3 ·
Haha. Yeah, it wasn't the health risks that motivated me. I was just tired of being so darned inconvenienced all the time. I live in LA, and everywhere is non-smoking. I thought I'd feel like less of an outcast if I didn't spend so much time on the outskirts of a parking lot, or standing in an alley indulging in my "disgusting" habit. Guess what? It didn't change a thing.

It was kind of nice to not have to worry about buying smokes all the time, and I was able to go on a business trip without any difficulties finding a smoking hotel room. Oh well.
 
#4 ·
Haven't tried quitting smoking before. It's only been two years though, which is nothing compared to twnety years of doing it >< I'm not really sure what it'll do for my SA. I like doing it so that it gives me something to do when waiting around for something, without this... don't really know what I'd be doing.
 
#6 ·
My tip would be don't start if you haven't tried it.

I started 3 years ago, and now smoke a pack a day.

I study at home and rarely go out anyway... smoking makes me feel like **** now. If I stop for 12 hours I get aggressive, angry, irritable and depressed. Not to mention it is probably killing my organs.
 
#8 ·
During a period of solitude, I quit after a few years of smoking and took up exercise instead. I didn't need any crutches during that time so I gave up my bad habits. I've had a few cigarettes since--when I was drinking--but now that my sense of taste has improved, smoking seems disgusting. Give up if you can. The reasons people give for smoking are weak. It really doesn't make much difference once you get used to it. I find stimulants make me edgy once the initial rush is over.
 
#11 ·
I quit for over a year, never really noticed a difference in my moods. Others may have, but i never did. Though i have heard before that a lot of people with mental issues "self-medicate" with cigarettes, so i'm probably guilty of that.
The main thing i missed when i wasn't smoking, other than having something in my fidgety fingers, was the excuse to go outside every now and then, get away from whatever situation/place i was in.
Earlier this year when the stress levels got high, the first thing i did was go and buy a pack, now i almost smoke more than before i quit.
 
#12 ·
why did you go back to smoking, using nicotine patches are better then smoking now you smell like a ash tray yellow fingers smelly hair gross, yer i had cold turkey when i quit that's why its called cold turkey because you gone on a roller coaster nightmare but with all addiction it happens, cigarette is nothing compared to heroin, been on that sh*t too, honestly get the patch put em on ween yourself off the higher milligrams then don't use them after that i did that and i haven't smoked or had a nicotine patch on me for 5 years you can do it too just give it up now before you get lung cancer it might not come right now and you might not think your gonna get it but imagine this you go to your doctor for a blood test you get you results in and the doctor turns around and says hi sorry but you got cancer man that would just kill ya wouldn't it, and hey smoking cigs is real easy to quit, ive been through many times in the past did nothing for my mood im the same as if i was the same before emotionally anyway
 
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