Smoking Addiction & Recovery Support Group
The CDC claims that nicotine is a "very addictive drug" that can be "as addictive as heroin or cocaine." Nicotine is typically eliminated from the body within 2 to 3 days, however, physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms may last for much longer depending on the individual. If you are trying to kick the habit, this community is dedicated to giving smokers the...
how so I start to quite smoking when I have panic attacks when I try to stop?
It worked for me...one day at a time. I also took my cig $ and started to put it in a jug instead...I saved a lot of $ and that made me feel good. I took the $ out after one week and bought myself one thing that I love (besides smokes).
I have not smoked for 9 years. I know that I can NEVER have "just one"...ever. Sending positive energy your way. XXXOOO
If you are a smoker, there is one solution to reduce the chances of a panic attack: Quit Smoking.
Research has proven that by quitting smoking you can greatly minimize the chances of having a panic attack. Tobacco and nicotine has been proven to cause panic attacks. Since the main ingredients for cigarettes are these two substances, cigarette smoking is a catalyst for panic attacks. There is no argument about the association of panic attacks and smoking. It has been confirmed and proven. Hence, by not smoking you are eliminating the chances of panic attacks happening or at least minimize its intensity and frequency.
On the contrary, many smokers are still in doubt of this fact. They instead have the mentality that quitting smoking will result in them having panic attacks. Just by thinking about quitting their bad habit, they feel uneasy and start to get headaches. When smokers run low of cigarettes and cannot find a store nearby to replenish their supply, they experience a mild panic and they associate this as a mild panic attack.
What these smokers are actually experiencing is just mere anxiety or at the very most a mild situational panic attack. The anxiety that is caused by fear of cigarette shortage will always diminish if the smoker finds a pack of cigarettes stashed away somewhere, or if a stale cigarette is found on the floor of the car or at the bottom of a purse.
What researchers find most interesting about the anxiety when smokers are running low on cigarettes is that it almost always happens when they are smoking a cigarette. Therefore, the anxiety is not due to withdrawal symptoms but rather linked to the tobacco and nicotine found in the cigarette itself.
If you have pledged to yourself that you would do anything to make your panic attacks go away, you have already have the solution. By quitting smoking you will definitely experience a reduction in the intensity, frequency and duration of panic attacks or if you are fortunate enough it will totally disappear.