Just when we thought there were enough cancer, heart disease and stroke reasons to stop smoking, comes another research finding that should help convince smokers to dump the habit. A new UK study has discovered that cigarettes can make depression worse in people who smoke. The research has also revealed that long-term nicotine addiction can deplete the brain of natural mood-boosting chemicals. This addiction, which some say is harder to beat than coming off heroin, seems to actually act the opposite way to anti-depression drugs. The study found that all too often, people who suffer from anxiety and other mental disorders mistakenly use smoking as self-medication, when, in fact, it is directly contributing to their bad moods and depression.
Up to 90% of smokers who quit smoking by cold turkey, go back to cigarettes in the first three months of quitting. Many people addicted to nicotine make five or more attempts to quit, before they are successful. A key mistake that many make is to turn to alcohol to replace cigarettes, which is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire because alcohol causes its own well known serious health problems. Others use the excuse that they will gain weight if they give up cigarettes, when research shows that smokers normally will not gain more than 10 pounds when they quit cigarettes.
There are many way to approach quitting....A good action step to your overall health.
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