Online Lifestyle Magazine for Healthcare Workers by Pulse Uniform

Improved Mood – Another reason to quit smoking?

The Nicotine & Tobacco Research journal published a study by Brown University researchers, saying giving up smoking is linked to happiness. Corresponding author, Christopher Kahler said, if they quit smoking their depressive symptoms go down, and if they relapse, their mood goes back to where they were. An effective antidepressant should look like that. It’s a basic fact that can be observed in patients who are under treatment. Physicians would prescribe medication to be taken within a certain period of time, but usually recommend starting all over again when there have been lapses. That is because these people in medical scrubs know that the ailment will recur.

How true that quitting smoking improves mood? Going directly to several smokers who tried to quit smoking, I noticed one common thing – they don’t feel better. They are more irritable, can’t concentrate, feel as if they have flu, dry mouths, and other nicotine withdrawal symptoms common with people trying to break free from smoking. The same complaints are read from among the comments posted on different sites that featured the said study.

Comments and personal testimonials, of course, however faithful and pure the motive is, cannot be used as basis for drawing conclusions; scientific data is required to support any claim. Significantly, Kahler and fellow researchers used standardized test for symptoms of depression seven days before all 236 participants stopped smoking, underwent smoking cessation counseling, and provided with nicotine patches.

Check ups showed that participants who managed to quit for a while were happy, but right after smoking cessation failed, moods darkened. Those who had no success at all were the unhappiest among the group, while those who were successful all they way were the happiest.

While many smokers who tried quitting don’t agree with the study, the physical and mental advantages that can be benefited from stopping should be enough encouragement to finish the goal. Every smoke-free day is an achievement that must motivate one to continue and beat the habit. At the end of the day, a former smoker will enjoy the fruits of his persistence, including improved mood.

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About Mecheil Lewis