Understanding 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.

• The Smoke Free App: free for Londoners the app offers support 24/7, non-judgemental stop smoking advisors and NRT or a nicotine vape to help you to quit for good.
• You can also access free stop smoking support from your local London borough.

Need help with quitting smoking?

Quitting smoking massively boosts both physical and mental health. Triple your chance of success by using a local stop smoking service or the Smoke Free App and combining behavioural support with nicotine replacement.

Get stop smoking support now.

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/