Has anyone else noticed that smoking tobacco seems to have an antidepressant effect?

Question

Or am I just imagining it? Is it the nicotine that gives you a boost?

Answer 1

I sincerely doubt it.

Oh sure, the nicotine gives you a quick "buzz"; but this is only temporary........Nicotine is rapidly degraded by the body, and loses it's effects after at most 20 minutes, after which you are certain to feel even *more* depressed than before.

Depression, anxiety, nervousness, acute stress, etc, are all well known effects of nicotine withdrawal.

That rapid "crash" afterward is part of what drives people to keep trying to get more nicotine, and become addicted.

It is an open secret that tobacco companies put a large number of additives in their cigarettes, a practice which the government legally has no control or oversight. Many of the additives are designed to both increase the rate that nicotine is absorbed into the body, and also to increase the rate it is broken down and removed. This produces an extremely rapid "spike" of nicotine, which encourages addiction. Tobacco companies are actually just part of the "nicotine delivery industry",(to quote an inside memo from Phillip Morris)

Fortunately(for the tobacco companies), nicotine is also extremely poisonous and acts as a nerve toxin at even moderate levels. Due to it's nasty side effects, nicotine is usually self-limiting.

This is not true of "hard" drugs. Most laboratory animals, (and humans), if given an unlimited supply of highly pure Methamphetamine, will keep dosing themselves until they OD and die. If they are given a choice between food and meth they will choose the meth until they starve to death. "hard" drugs are not "self-limiting."

The differences between nicotine and commercial anti-depression drugs is stark. Antidepressants are absorbed relatively slowly, in a matter of hours, instead of seconds with nicotine. They are usually not metabolized by the body at all, and only leave the body through the urine. Their "half life" in the blood is a matter of days, rather than minutes in the case of nicotine. Nearly all antidepressants depend on a constant concentration in the blood, in order to have their effects, rather than the rapid spike in the case of nicotine. Because they are so long acting, after a certain point, taking more antidepressant will not increase it's effects, so addiction and overdosing is almost impossible.

Do yourself a favor and quit dosing up with nerve toxin.
~Donkey Hotei

Answer 2

Actually, like with other drugs and alcohol, tobacco is a depressant. It slows down the brain's activities. It calms an anxious mood. When the drug starts to leave your system you go through withdrawals, start feeling depressed, irritible, anxious. You light up again, it lifts you back up. If you didn't smoke at all you'd notice that you weren't going through the ups and downs perhaps and you wouldn't feel the need to rely on smoking to make you feel better. Just like with caffiene too, it will give you a buzz, but when the buzz wears off, your energy levels are lower than what they would have been had you not had coffee at all. Smoking does the same. Sorry to bust you theory. It's just your addictive nature, trying to give you a good excuse to keep smoking.

Answer 3

Some smokers need to smoke as soon as they wake up in the morning--it helps them wake up (like the coffee effect).

The nicotine is the physically addicting component of cigarettes--so it is probably what does give you the boost.

I'm a smoker, and still need to take antidepressants and anti anxiety meds, so I wouldn't count on nicotine for someone who needs either of these.

Answer 4

That depends on what you mean by a "boost". There are many different harmful chemicals in cig smoke. Smokers have an addiction to the nicotine, so when they smoke, they get what may be misconstrewed as a "high". Basically, you are slowly killing yourself...no high in that, right?

Answer 5

Smoking and Christianity do no longer blend. this could be obtrusive. Smoking it particularly is a defilement of the physique. Having faith calls for better than in basic terms believing. Like James reported, even the demons have self assurance, and that they are nervous. you'll be able to desire to exercising faith, which calls for action, and a willingness to coach your existence around. that consists of quitting smoking. that is thrilling which you chosen smoking of all issues to slam us on, while maximum folk agree that smoking is undesirable on your wellbeing. it is likewise thrilling to word that if a individual searching for baptism quits smoking to realize that, you notice that as something detrimental. That is mindless. here is the scripture in the back of the belief: 2 Corinthians 7:a million - for this reason, considering the fact that we've those can provide, loved ones, enable us to cleanse ourselves of each and every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s concern. Smoking is a defilement of the physique. wish this enables.

Answer 6

it is the nicotine. it leads to an increase in seratonin, which regulates your mood and a bunch of other stuff. nicotine can definitely make you happy for a couple of minutes. i think i am going to smoke a cig right now

Answer 7

Nicotine is a drug and it is a stimulant. It alters your brain activity. So does cocaine. So there is no benefit to smoking, but it does give you a boost....there are better ways to achieve it.

Answer 8

Yes, even a pshrink told me that. She offered to give me wellbutrin to help kick the habit. Fortunately, I found a far more effective natural antidepressant.

Answer 9

Many people find that smoking relaxes them, which could mean a depressant effect on the central nervous system. Kind of like alcohol.

My compliments, Faceless

Answer 10

It has that effect on me too. I think that is why I can't quit smoking the damn things!