Navigating Smoking and Mental Health

Smoking has long been recognised as a leading cause of various health issues including heart disease, respiratory issues and cancer.

However, people are less aware of the negative effects that smoking has on mental health.

In recent years, scientific research has concluded that smoking has a profound impact on people suffering from anxiety, depression and cognitive decline.

Stop Smoking London has put together a guide detailing everything you need to know when it comes to smoking and mental health – as well as access to free resources and helpful information.

How does smoking affect your mental health and wellbeing?

Many people view smoking cigarettes as a stress reliever.

This false perception is due to the chemical reaction in your brain as nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine – giving you a sense of calm after lighting up a cigarette.

The dopamine release provides a temporary sense of relaxation and calmness for roughly 25 minutes when smoking.

However, this relaxed feeling soon wears off and often leads you to reach for another cigarette.

This can quickly lead you to become dependent on nicotine for stress management but in the long term this can make you feel more anxious and increases the risk of developing physical diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.

I use cigarettes as a coping mechanism

People sometimes use tobacco as a form of self-medication to help alleviate feelings of anxiety and/or depression.

Chronic stress, childhood trauma and other precursors can make you tempted to take up smoking – having heard the false perception that ‘smoking calms you’.

This can create a cycle of dependency, where smoking may temporarily alleviate symptoms, but long-term makes you feel worse and heightens mental health problems while affecting physical health.

Why am I struggling with smoking and my mental health?

If you smoke and have mental health issues, smoking often serves as a coping mechanism – providing you with a way to temporarily manage stress, anxiety, or depressive symptoms.

This reliance can create a cycle of dependency – making it harder to use healthier and safer strategies to manage emotions.

Additionally, smoking is expensive that typically costs over £400 per month if you live in London.

If you’re worried about money, smoking can make feelings of anxiety and stress worse due to the additional cost of funding smoking on top of everyday expenses.

Learn how much you could save via the Stop Smoking London calculator.

If you smoke and have mental health problems, you might believe quitting will be harder for you, despite having as much desire to quit as other smokers but you can get free expert help from your local stop smoking service.

There is also evidence that smoking can cause disruption to the effectiveness of certain medication and antidepressants meaning you may need an increased doses of certain medications.

What happens when I quit smoking?

Both physical and mental health improve when you quit tobacco. You will quickly find:

–      Your level of stress, anxiety and depression are lower

–      Your outlook on life and general mood improves

–      Antidepressants and other medicine dosages for mental health problems can be lowered (please only do this in consultation with your GP before doing so.)

When you begin a quit attempt, it’s normal to experience withdrawal symptoms due to reduced levels of nicotine within the body.

Feelings of irritableness, anxiousness and restlessness are common during this phase which usually lasts 2 – 4 weeks.

This is called nicotine withdrawal and can be managed in numerous ways including stop smoking medication, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and more.

I smoke and struggle with my mental health. Where can I find support?

There are a number of different options available to help you quit.

Stop Smoking London has launched a new text message service to help you quit smoking.

It’s free to use, can be personalised to your specific needs and lifestyle, and has been created with input from top medical experts and ex-smokers who have successfully quit.

The text messaging service provides daily motivational texts to support your quit journey.

These texts have been tailored around the five most common reasons for quitting:

–      Improve general health

–      Pregnancy

–      Saving more money

–      Encouragement from family/friends and/or partner

–      Planning a family

You can receive free stop smoking support messages by visiting Stop Smoking London and signing up for the service here.

For Londoners, Stop Smoking London also offer a free, dedicated phone programme to help you to quit for good.

You can also access free stop smoking support from your local London borough.

Quitting smoking is possible with the right help

Marisa from Croydon suffered from serious mental health issues having smoked for most of her life.

After numerous visits to the hospital with deteriorating physical and mental health problems, Marisa found support from Tracy, her Tobacco Advisor, who encouraged Marisa to quit smoking by using a vape.

Read Marisa’s story on how she quit smoking.

Listen to Tracy Davies, Marisa’s tobacco advisor speak about smoking and the effects it has on mental health.

Looking for information on smoking and anxiety? Read Stop Smoking London’s guide to understanding the effect nicotine has on anxiety.

Need help with quitting smoking?

Quitting smoking massively boosts both physical and mental health.

Individuals with mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia, are significantly more prone to smoking, often at a heavier rate.

On average, life expectancy for people living with mental health problems drops 10 to 20 years compared to those without mental health problems, with smoking a significant contributing factor

Moreover, higher doses of certain antipsychotic and antidepressant medications are often necessary due to smoking’s interference with their efficacy.

Stop Smoking London has a wide range of free resources, and guides by ex-smokers and can direct you to your local stop smoking service for further help.

If you want to stop smoking, visit Stop Smoking London to receive free support. You can sign up for the free text messaging service for personalised support that can be tailored to your individual needs.

References

• https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/policy/primary-care-guidance-on-smoking-and-mental-disorders-2014-update.pdf?sfvrsn=5824ccd5_2
• https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/smoking-and-mental-health#:~:text=People%20with%20a%20mental%20health%20condition%20who%20smoke%20are%20more,are%20less%20likely%20to%20succeed.
• https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/stopping-smoking-mental-health-benefits/