Quitting smoking 'reduces anxiety'

[Northerner]

Smokers who successfully quit feel less anxious afterwards - despite the belief that smoking relieves stress, researchers say.

The British Journal of Psychiatry study followed nearly 500 smokers attending NHS stop smoking clinics in England.

It found a "significant" decrease in anxiety levels among the 68 smokers who had quit after six months.

The effect was greater among those who had mood and anxiety disorders than those that smoked for pleasure.

The researchers - drawn from several universities including Cambridge, Oxford and Kings's College in London - said the findings should be used to reassure smokers attempting to quit that concerns about increased anxiety levels were unfounded.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20875453

 

[trophywench]

I dunno, smoking is a device that is useful when you are anxious in some cases, but never because of the actual smoking.

What I mean is, I had a lot of work stress. I would need to take a break, and you put that off as long as poss. Then (and everyone knows you smoke so they are kinda OK with you doing it) so you say, I'm going for a fag. So you walk round the carpark with or without a fag, and come back 5 or 10 mins later a bit calmer.

In the same way it could be used (when we used to smoke in the office) as a delaying tactic, same as taking your glasses of and sucking the arm, whilst attempting to look thoughtful and actually thinking Oh Sheet, what do I say now?

 

[Vicsetter]

Anxiety is listed by the study as a withdrawal symptom and yet the desire to smoke does not go away even when you have 'given up' so the withdrawal anxiety must be greater than when you smoked!
Maybe not if you suffered from anxiety in the first place.

The effect was greater among those who had mood and anxiety disorders than those that smoked for pleasure.

They only found the decrease in 68 out of 500 people who quit after 6 months! so the quit smoking effort isn't working too well then!