Does Smoking Relieve Stress

Smokers have been made to believe that nicotine, a highly addictive and dangerous drug, helps them to cope up with stress in their day to day lives. They believe that by getting their dose of nicotine by lighting up a cigarette, it will make them more focused, relaxed and peaceful. It will throw away all negative feelings brought by stress in life and this belief is one good reason they say why they find it difficult to quit smoking for good.

If we are going to observe non-smokers, they too are confronted by the same situation that smokers are exposed in their day to day life. Yet these people who don’t smoke don’t need nicotine in order to cope up with stress. Stress has been part of life since we were born, no one was born a smoker so I think smokers can handle stress perfectly even before they started smoking.

Stress cannot be removed from life. It is a part of it and it what makes life more interesting and it is what makes man stronger and wiser. Stress is present to everyone, even when you’re asleep, sweet dreams and nightmares do happen. It doesn’t excuse anyone, whether you are a non-smoker, ex-smoker or a smoker, so it’s up to the individual on how he will cope constructively with the difficulties in life.

Does smoking relieve stress? I think not, what smoking is trying to relieve are the urges whenever the smoker undergoes the withdrawal stage. Withdrawal symptoms are brought forth when the nicotine levels in the smokers’ body drops down. And because of dependency, the body reacts negatively as a sign that it needs more of the poisonous drug to act normally. Now these kinds of feelings are the ones that smoking is relieving and not stress alone.

The smoker should accept this truth in order to quit smoking for good successfully. If he will keep on insisting that he is relieving stress by smoking then he will really find it difficult to quit. Some smokers say that they are waiting for a time to quit where there will be a moment with little or no stress at all. That time will not come, unless you lock yourself in solitude or place yourself inside a rehabilitation center. What the smoker needs is proper mindset and acceptance about the negative effects of smoking.

Deciding to quit smoking for good is the first step in kicking this unhealthy vice or habit. Accepting the truth that nicotine is not a stress reliever will make quitting a lot easier. Having the proper positive mental attitude not only will help the smoker undergo the withdrawal stage successfully, it will also help him in the long run in avoiding smoking relapses. You are reading this article because you want to quit, believe you can, quit smoking today.

The author is maintaining a Quit Smoking Blog, providing useful articles to help smokers quit smoking for good. Visit his website today to help you stay committed in quitting by learning what happens when you quit smoking for good.

Share