The psychological effects of smoking are both intertwined with and as powerful as the chemical addictions to the nicotine found in cigarettes. Smoking becomes a psychological crutch or supplement in the lives of smokers, affecting their attitudes before, during and between cigarettes. The impact of smoking on the attitudes of tobacco users creates high hurdles for those attempting to quit the habit.
Emotional Function of Addiction
The chemical effects of smoking directly relate to the attitudes and emotions of smokers, according to Quitsmoking.com. Nicotine, much like cocaine or other recreational drugs, is a stimulant that boosts heart, breathing and blood pressure rates, causing an emotional feeling of being highly alert in smokers. Another byproduct of cigarette smoking--acetaldehyde--functions as a sedative, and carbon monoxide can take the edge off emotional tension, dulling anger or other strong emotions, Quitsmoking.com reports. All of these factors further smoking as a sort of crutch for addicts to fend off feelings of tension or irritability.
Considering Withdrawal's Emotional Effects
The effects on smokers' attitudes when going without cigarettes for extended periods of time can be just as powerful as the feelings of relief and enjoyment experienced when smoking.
The emotional rush nicotine elicits wears off on average after about 20 minutes, leaving smokers with a craving for more, according to Quitsmoking.com. And when this urge goes unfulfilled, smokers' attitudes can switch from satisfaction to irritability until lighting up and smoking the next cigarettes.
Perceptions of Health and Quitting
Attitudes and beliefs regarding the health effects of smoking impact the likelihood of a smoker successfully kicking the habit, according to a study published in the British Journal of General Practice. Through a survey involving more than 1,000 postal questionnaires, researchers Nikki Walters and Tim Coleman concluded that smokers who feel their respiratory symptoms are prompted by smoking are more likely to see potential health gains in quitting. These attitudes make it more likely for smokers to make the decision to quit and follow through with it, according to the study.
Potential Ways to Ease Emotional Effects of Quitting
Introspection helps smokers who are trying to overcome the attitudinal or emotional hurdles of quitting cigarettes, according to Quitsmoking.com. Smokers first must identify the attitudes and feelings that make them want to smoke. Then it's a matter of analyzing and changing those attitudes.
Various quit-smoking websites list a number of techniques former smokers used to help alter their attitudes and psychological link to smoking, including likening cigarettes to an old friend who died or convincing oneself that smoking is a part of past--not present or future--behaviors. Stop-Smoking-Tips.com also cautions those trying to quit to avoid becoming overly confident the habit is broken and to avoid past situations or places in which smoking was integral, such as bars or coffee houses.
Emotional Benefits of Quitting
Stop-Smoking-Tips also cites a number of ways in which ex-smokers attitudes and emotions benefit from quitting. Improved self-image and feelings of being in charge of one's own destiny often follow a successful kicking of the habit. Ex-smokers no longer plan their activities around cigarettes, such as deciding against a restaurant or other business lacking a smoking section. And ex-smokers experience fewer emotional highs, lows and anxiety the longer the time that lapses after their last cigarettes.
