Smoking and anxiety have a complicated relationship.
Most smokers believe that smoking helps them cope with anxiety. They also think that quitting smoking will skyrocket their stress.
But does that mean that smoking really relieves our anxiety?
And is quitting smoking going to make us more stressed than you are now?
The truth might surprise you. Really.
See, quit smoking anxiety prevents most smokers from becoming smoke-free.
You can put this statement to the test.
Step 1. Find another smoker.
Step 2. Ask them: “Would you like to quit?”
If they say “No,” ask them again in a few years.
If they say “Yes,” move on to step 3.
Step 3. Ask them: “Why don’t you quit?”
I can assure you, that their answer includes or is limited to the words “smoking” and “anxiety.”
So yes, stress is the most significant reason smokers give for not quitting.
And it might be your biggest reason too – it was mine, for sure.
That’s why I made sure the CBQ method was designed to help every smoker feel relaxed without needing smoking.
So in this article, I will show you parts of the CBQ method that have to do with smoking and anxiety as well as quitting smoking and anxiety.
Specifically, I’m here to share with you:
- why smoking seems to relieve your stress
- how smoking increases your anxiety
- and how to quit easily without quitting smoking anxiety
So…
If you smoke to relieve your anxiety.
If you believe you can’t quit smoking.
And if you postpone quitting because you feel you won’t be able to handle stress without your smokes…
…then this article is for you.
Smoking and Anxiety
Before putting the relationship between smoking and anxiety under the microscope… let’s be clear about what anxiety is.
Anxiety can mean different things to different people.
Anything can cause worry, tension, stress, and fear.
From the severe misfortunes of life and mental health struggles to everyday things- like trying to find your keys or phone in your handbag, socializing, opening a bill or having an argument, endless family responsibilities or a very stressful job.
Even happy moments like preparing for holidays, meeting an old friend or making a phone call, can make us anxious.
After all, it’s not the actual events in our life that are stressful. It’s the way we experience them.
Don’t get me wrong.
Anxiety and stress are very real, and they affect our lives, our relationships, and our happiness.
But the question is, does smoking help anxiety?
Smoking doesn’t really relieve stress because nicotine increases your blood pressure, which is your body’s code for “I’m tense.”
And if smoking helped relieve anxiety, then smokers would be more relaxed than a Buddhist monk meditating on top of mountain Everest.
Yet, smoking a cigarette does make you feel better than before.
Just not for the reasons you may think.
Why Does Smoking Appear to Help with Anxiety
When something stressful happens, you will probably light up a cigarette.
You might not know why you feel the need to do this. But you know that for some reason it makes you feel better
But why?
To answer that question, I first need to show you what is the Smoking and Anxiety trap.
The Smoking and Anxiety Trap
Smoking and anxiety trap smokers into a loop. Because smoking both relieves and creates anxiety.
Let me explain.
Everyone experiences anxiety every day because everyone has problems.
Right?
But smokers have one additional cause of anxiety, and that’s their cravings.
I believe you already know there’s nothing more stressful than craving a cigarette. Especially when you’re trying to quit.
Just think about yourself in situations where you can’t smoke.
First, your body gets tense.
Then, your mind gets anxious- the thought of a cigarette consumes you.
Your feelings? They are, let’s say, unpleasant. Panic sets in.
You feel you NEED a cigarette. (That’s how quit smoking anxiety attacks feel like.)
Then you have a smoke, and you feel relaxed.
So when you smoke, you relax, yes. Not because the cigarette calmed you down, but because you satisfied your craving.
And the thing is that every time you smoke, you are allowing the next craving to come along.
And when it does come along, what happens?
You feel stress if you don’t smoke to satisfy that craving.
This is not your fault. You have just fallen into the smoking-anxiety trap.
Here’s why:
Every day, you are suffering from the anxiety caused by your nicotine cravings… on top of the anxiety caused by your problems.
So you experience double anxiety.
By relieving the irritating craving the same time you feel anxious, your total stress is reduced, and you feel more relaxed than before.
That feeling of relaxation is real but also temporary.
The cigarette cannot reduce your general anxiety. Because cigarettes do not remove our problems.
The cigarette only causes more anxiety because you have to satisfy your cravings day in and day out.
So that’s the loop that smokers get stuck on.
That’s what’s making you feel stuck with your smokes. Because every craving you satisfy relieves your stress momentarily.
But it also allows the next craving to happen at a later time.
When that time comes, you will have to satisfy that craving too! Because if you don’t, your anxiety will build up.
But if you do, you will relieve the stress momentarily, until the next craving. And so on …
And unfortunately, cigarette cravings are not the only way smoking is making you more anxious.
Can Smoking Cause Anxiety?
Yes, it can and it does.
In fact, research shows that smokers are more stressed than non-smokers.
Yep, that’s right. Although smoking a cigarette might feel like an effective mood control… being addicted to nicotine increases your anxiety.
Like we discussed above, smoking can cause anxiety just because of the cigarette cravings.
But there are more ways smoking increases your anxiety.
- Knowing and believing that you are stuck with smoking for the rest of your life
- Having to interrupt your life to smoke
- Feeling frustrated that your hair, skin and clothes smell like cigarettes,
- Having to smoke out in the cold
- Worrying about the money your habit is costing you
- Feeling sad when your loved ones complain about your smoking,
- Feeling that you need a cigarette all the time,
- AND worrying about how smoking is damaging your health…
…are all things that disturb your peace of mind on a daily basis; things non-smokers don’t even have to think about.
Many smokers believe that non-smokers are more stressed because they don’t have a cigarette to relax them.
I used to think that too when I was a smoker.
But the truth is that smokers are NOT happier or more relaxed because they smoke. They just need the nicotine to feel normal.
And non-smokers don’t need a cigarette to relax because they are not smokers.
Instead, non-smokers and ex-smokers are free; they can just enjoy every moment of life -as it is.
How to Beat Smoking and Anxiety – Permanently
I know this might seem hard to believe at the moment. But quitting smoking will lower your stress levels.
Yes, by being smoke-free, you will experience less anxiety in your daily life.
In a study published in the journal Addiction, researchers proved that quitting smoking drops your stress levels.
Let me say that again: ex-smokers experience less stress than smokers.
Sure, life will be full of ups and downs. Things will go wrong.
But you will not have double anxiety caused by your smoking.
Just Imagine what it would be like if you felt less anxious every single day.
How would your relationships be like?
What would be your day to day level of happiness?
How much better would you feel when you are alone with yourself?
So to beat smoking and anxiety, you need a method that shows you how to stop smoking following a structure as well as how to relax without a cigarette.
That way you can prevent additional anxiety after quitting smoking.
That method is called the CBQ method. Over the last decade, the CBQ has reached and helped millions of smokers quit, and it can help you succeed too.
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Here I have created a video where I introduce you to the CBQ method and tell you why it works and what are the 4 quit smoking stages you need to follow.
Just enter your name and best email so I can send you the video.
Get the introduction to the CBQ method now. [/snmedia-display-if-not-get]
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To learn how to quit smoking in a way that’s easy and makes you less anxious and stressed, then join my free webinar on the new way to quit smoking easily.
In this online seminar, I show you not only how to stop smoking successfully but also how to quit and feel LESS STRESSED than you’ve ever been in your life.
Click here to register now for free and get a proven step by step plan for your stress-free quit smoking journey
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To learn how to quit smoking in a way that’s easy and makes you less anxious and stressed, then join my free webinar on the new way to quit smoking easily with the CBQ Method
In this online seminar, you’ll learn how to stop smoking successfully but also how to quit and feel LESS STRESSED than you’ve ever been in your life.
Click here to register now for free and get a step by step plan to quit with the CBQ Method.
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