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The Vicious Circle Of Smoking And Anxiety Disorders

David Mazoor, M.D.Published April 27, 20103 min read

Key points

  • Have you ever noticed that people who are nervous and/or depressive often seem to smoke?
  • There is a second link between smoking and anxiety disorders .
  • If you are a smoker the links between smoking and anxiety disorder described in this article may have you thinking that you are stuck in a hopeless situation, but that is not true.
  • Many smokers claim that they smoke to calm their nerves and cigarettes have helped them to get through some of life’s most trying challenges.

Have you ever noticed that people who are nervous and/or depressive often seem to smoke? This might not be a coincidence since there is scientific research that shows that there is definitely a correlation between smoking and anxiety disorders . Therefore if you smoke and you also feel anxious and depressed much of the time, your mood disorder might be the result of your bad habit.

It’s The Cause Not The Solution

Many smokers claim that they smoke to calm their nerves and cigarettes have helped them to get through some of life’s most trying challenges. Well, there certainly is a link between smoking and anxiety disorders , but cigarettes do nothing at all to calm frazzled nerves. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is an addictive drug. Nicotine is a stimulant which is known to cause excitement. It will also intensify your worries and make them seem bigger than they are which can lead to an anxiety disorder. Smoking causes major depressive disorder too. While a smoker is not smoking the excitement and anxiety is followed by depression because the amount of nicotine in the bloodstream decreases. When the nicotine level decreases to a certain level your body asks for more of it, which is why smoking is so addictive.

Harder To Quit

There is a second link between smoking and anxiety disorders . Not only does nicotine cause anxiety, but people who have the disorder find it more difficult to quit smoking. If you have ever been around smokers perhaps you have heard them say that they really wanted to quit but the time just wasn’t right because they were way too stressed out.

Ironically many people who have anxiety disorder and actually managed to successfully quit smoking have reported feeling much less anxious and depressed not long after they managed to stop the habit. When smoking has caused anxiety disorder and depression in an individual they may feel that they are incapable of quitting because of the stress when in fact giving up the cigarettes is the single most beneficial thing they could do to calm their nerves.

Getting Help

If you are a smoker the links between smoking and anxiety disorder described in this article may have you thinking that you are stuck in a hopeless situation, but that is not true. Medical professionals know a great deal about the correlation between smoking and anxiety disorders and health care providers are trained to help people in such situations. If you smoke and you are worried about the correlation between smoking and anxiety disorders then it is a good idea to make an appointment to speak with your doctor. They can help you to decide on the best course of action to help you quit the habit permanently in order to improve your psychological and physical health.

Original article source: Smoking And Anxiety Disorders

For more information how stop smoking and about Chantix from Brian Welsch check http://www.chantixsite.com

About the Author
For more information how stop smoking and about Chantix from Brian Welsch check http://www.chantixsite.com

Control Your Anxiety

Revised and edited by

David Mazoor, M.D.

Medically reviewedLast reviewed

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