Depression and Quitting Smoking - Feeling Sad After Cessation.odt

Many current and ex smokers are wondering about depression when they quit. More and more, modern research is finding that depression and cigarette smoking are co-existing factors. Fortunately, they don't have to be. Although depression usually precedes cigarette smoking, there are ways to beat both at the same time.

Smoking is More Common Among Depression Patients

Several recent studies have indicated that those of us who smoke tend to suffer from depression more frequently than the general population. Chemicals in the cigarettes, including nicotine, tend to alleviate the feeling of depression both by acting as anti-depressants and stimulating the nervous system.

Although current medical research does not indicate such, cigarettes also cause damage in the pre-frontal cortex which may be similar to that of depression. This makes quitting all the more important. Unfor ... Read more »