We’ve all heard or said the phrase “I’m nervous, I need a cigarette. “Thus, the belief that tobacco has enormous anxiolytic power is so widespread that it is now part of the collective unconscious. Many people think that smoking has a relaxing effect, similar to that of a Valerian infusion, so many people continue to smoke for the sole purpose of maintaining calm.
But the reality is that this is not true. Tobacco is a delicious substance. When we smoke, we become more active and also more nervous. Tranquility? That we felt at first when swallowing cigarettes has to do with reducing anxiety related to the use of the addictive substance, not because it actually has a relaxing effect; in fact, our sensitivity to anxiety has a significant impact on smoking.
- “The true face of cigarettes is disease.
- Death and horror.
- Not the glamour and sophistication that the tobacco industry is trying to portray.
- -David Byrne-.
For starters, what is anxiety sensitivity? Anxiety sensitivity is the fear that some people have to anxiety itself and their symptoms, these people think stress has very negative consequences for them, so when they detect indicators that they are experiencing this emotion an amplification occurs.
The danger of having a high sensitivity to anxiety when it comes to smoking is that these people may see how beneficial this first reduction in anxiety is immediately after the puff. Finding an effective way to regulate anxiety in tobacco use will lead them to start smoking as usual will also be a reason not to give up addiction.
In other words, these people internalize the idea that smoking is an acceptable and “cost-effective” way to reduce anxiety. That is, they will make tobacco your strategy to regulate anxiety, so it is important to learn how to practice other types of strategies to deal with stress, so that we can face them without carrying out behaviors that are harmful to our health, such as smoking.
Just like when you start smoking, sensitivity to anxiety also influences whether we keep smoking. It’s not just because these people are more sensitive to the anxiolytic effect of cigarettes from the first puff; other factors also influence.
? Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. -Jim Rohn-
In particular, people who are very sensitive to anxiety have a greater positive effect after smoking, so they also feel greater satisfaction. In addition, the psychological reward for them increases, thus smoking not only reduces anxiety, but also positive emotions that will encourage the person to continue smoking.
This will encourage people very sensitive to anxiety to smoke more categorically in stressful situations that cause negative emotions, that is, again, they use smoking behavior to regulate stress rather than face it more adaptively.
Sensitivity to anxiety is especially important for anyone who wants to quit smoking. This directly interferes with attempts to stop drinking, as these people experience some more severe withdrawal symptoms during the first week. As a result, they are less likely to quit smoking and have an increased risk of relapse.
These people also have more failed attempts to quit smoking. The consequence is that they feel less able to do so. In addition, they believe that in the end, all they will achieve is to increase their feeling of discomfort. As mentioned above, these people are afraid to feel more anxious, and these expectations will be a greater disadvantage in the smoking cessation process, which in itself is already difficult.
“The understanding that health depends on the habits we control makes us the first generation in history that largely determines one’s destiny. “Jimmy Carter.
Therefore, it is interesting to work concretely on sensitivity to anxiety with people who want to quit smoking. To do this, they should be gradually exposed to anxiety. In other words, you must feel it. In this way, you will be able to see that they are able to handle it and will not be so afraid of you, which will reduce the negative effects of this sensitivity on quitting smoking.
Images courtesy of Stas Svechnikov, Lucas Filipe and Dmitry Ermakov.