Does smoking help with stress and anxiety?

[Ex-User (13503)]

Spoiler

Piss off, Happy. Believe it or not, some of us are more interested in facts than boasting. I don't get symptoms of withdrawal. It's been years now. I expected them. That's not pride, that's not me somehow thinking I'm better or that somehow I have a stronger will. I want to know why. I've been around smokers my whole life. I know how their addictions affect them. I'm pretty sure I have the modicum of self awareness to perceive if it's the same thing I experience. Hell.... I've craved 2nd hand cigarette smoke before. I've been off for 3 days now, (because sick) and nothing remotely similar. I've done this sort of thing many times before, trying to test for the presence of addiction. I've got nothing. I don't know why. Maybe I'm simply not imbibing enough (unlikely, even at my low dose), maybe nicotine by itself is not as addictive as originally thought or maybe it's something unique to my biology. Whatever..... I want to know the actual reason. It could be many things, but don't fucking dismiss me as just simply being an egotist.

Withdrawal symptoms:

Irritability? Check.

 

[Happy]

Sure, nicotine might alleviate the symptoms of anxiety at first, but if you haven't already introduced nicotine to your system, you're better off without it. People will tell you it isn't addictive, but the easiest person to trick is yourself.

I quit smoking nearly 3 years ago, and I still get cravings for it. If you can avoid this experience, you should. I imagine its something I'll be stuck with, to some degree, for the rest of my life.

Whatever..... I want to know the actual reason. It could be many things, but don't fucking dismiss me as just simply being an egotist.

I wasn’t responding to you. Nor was I boasting. I responded to OP question with my anecdotal experience of nicotine addiction and recommendation to avoid it. If you haven’t had the same negative experience, then that’s great for you.

 

[Hadoblado]

@QT
Fair enough.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Yeah, yeah

It's everybody else

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

Denial? Check.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

I think you're thinking of the 5 stages of grief.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

Projection? Check.

(Nah. The first stereotypical step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. But I'm probably done now, because I like my kneecaps.)

 

[Minute Squirrel]

Yep. But as other people have already mentioned it's hardly the most effective or healthy way.

But don't vape. Vaping is for assholes.

There's usually an underlying cause to anxiety however so I don't think trying to use any substance to mask it is healthy.

However if you don't give a shit about being healthy I would advise alcohol + cigarettes. Just always be a little buzzed and smoke about every 1-2 hours. You probably won't have much anxiety at that point unless the universe just hates you. I would advise using cheap whiskey or rum.

 

[Black Rose]

 

[aiyanah]

no it does not help with stress and anxiety.
it does however give you time to think where you most likely wont be disturbed.

 

[GidMan]

I don't think smoking is the answer.

 

[Nebulous]

I smoked when I was 15-16. It helped me feel more grown up, which helped with self esteem. Most of my anxiety was from having strict parents, and I felt trapped/ like I couldn’t be myself at all/ like I had no autonomy. Smoking helped because it was the biggest F you to my parents.
It was so nice to sit outside behind the church in the winter and have chicken Lo mein and a Red Bull with a nice smoke. That made me feel whole. Winston’s were my absolute favorite, and the first pack I bought myself.

But it became another source of anxiety because in trying to feel more in control of my life, I lost control of myself. The catalyst of me quitting was this day I REALLY was needing to smoke and was so desperate I tried asking other kids if they had any cigarettes, and was greeted with weirded out faces. I was so embarrassed, I hated that so much it led to me eventually stopping.

Smoking will help with anxiety until it turns around and becomes a source of anxiety. It’s calming and feels relieving to go out and have a smoke. But when you start getting desperate about it, it’ll be embarrassing.

Also it’s shit for your health.

Therapy, a CBT group, medication and motivation to get better will be so much more effective.
Smoking is a bad coping mechanism.

 

[a_ghost_from_your_past]

No.

 

[Polaris]

Yes it really helps me getting more stressed and anxious.

 

[pjoa09]

Temporal reduction of anxiety, not stress. Go bust a nut.

 

[a_ghost_from_your_past]

The thing that is so nagging about stress is the fear reaction.
Meaning: Being unsure about what to do about X.
Once you calm down and develop a clear view of the thing in question and a corresponding strategy to tackle it, the stress disappears.
Sometimes you may need to talk to somebody else about that situation in order to gain a new perspective or some valuable advice on it in order to make it approachable.
Smoking itself is really just an addiction, an end in itself, like many others.