For Those Who Smoke, Quit
The reasons to quit smoking are obvious, but there are reasons why it can make anxiety potentially worse. As with alcohol, people tend to reach for a bad habit when feeling stressed or anxious. For example, smokers will — almost without fail — reach for a cigarette the moment they start feeling stressed. Smoking tends to ease stress for smokers the same way alcohol can sedate drinkers. However, the symptoms of anxiety do not improve when people reach for a smoke every time they feel stressed.
In fact, with regard to anxiety disorders, smokers will quickly devolve when they start to get addicted to smoking each time they feel anxious. Anxiety disorders tend to worsen over time, and bad habits such as smoking and drinking will end up causing no end of trouble. Anxiety is linked to mood, which worsens the more a person smokes or drinks. Anxiety is just one of the many reasons not to smoke.
If you’re a regular smoker, try to find ways to limit or quit entirely. Many people who suffer from anxiety disorders will ease their symptoms when they stop smoking. Fortunately, there are ways to help smokers kick the habit.
