Anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking tobacco remembers the discomfort associated with nicotine withdrawal. It turns out that CBD can help you break a bad habit with less hassle.
Quitting cigarette smoking is difficult because nicotine is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Practice shows that a single independent attempt to quit smoking ends in success in no more than 3% of cases. At the same time, up to 70% of smokers quit smoking in one way or another during their lifetime. But most of them, unfortunately, do it late, when serious illnesses occur, when irreversible health disorders already appear. Doctors say that smoking reduces life expectancy by 11 years, and healthy life expectancy by 15-17 years. According to WHO, more than 8 million people become victims of smoking every year, including 1.2 million non-smokers who are forced to inhale tobacco smoke.
Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include strong cigarette cravings, irritability, increased stress, headaches, sleep disturbances, sweating, chills, fatigue, anxiety, and mood swings. These symptoms are usually most severe during the first week after quitting smoking, and as with any withdrawal process, the likelihood of relapse is highest at this stage.
While there are dozens of nicotine-based products, including e-cigarettes, that help reduce tobacco cravings, recent research has shown that CBD is also a powerful and beneficial tool that helps many people quit their tobacco smoking habit. So what do you need to know about how to use CBD to easily kick that nasty unhealthy tobacco addiction?
What Research Says
In recent years, two interesting studies on the effectiveness of CBD for smoking cessation conducted by University College London have been published.
In the first study, in 2013, two groups of 12 quitters each used special inhalers when cravings for cigarettes developed. One group was given CBD inhalers, the other was given placebo inhalers. The researchers found that those who used the CBD inhaler reduced their cigarette consumption by 40%, while those who used the placebo had no significant change. The researchers then suggested that drugs that alter the endocannabinoid system could be an effective treatment for nicotine addiction, but noted that more research was needed.
The second study was published in May 2018. This was a double-blind, randomized trial in which 30 smokers were given 800mg of CBD orally or a matched placebo. Then they were shown “graphic tobacco signals” and recorded in the subjects the degree of desire to smoke, heart rate and changes in blood pressure. In real life, “tobacco signals” are situations in which the likelihood of a relapse is highest, such as parties, drinking, or friends smoking. The researchers found that study participants who received CBD found “tobacco cues” less appealing than those who received placebo, especially when participants abstained from cigarettes overnight.
How does CBD help you quit smoking?
CBD does much more than just offer a healthier alternative to cigarettes. First, CBD may target some of the same cellular receptors as antidepressants that are often used to treat nicotine addiction. This releases feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin, which help reduce cigarette cravings.
Most smokers have their own triggers. It can be a combination of a cigarette with a morning cup of coffee, or the habit of going out for a smoke break when anxiety creeps up at work. Over time, certain images, feelings, or habits become associated with tobacco use.
Unfortunately, the more often a person grabs a cigarette in such situations, the more strongly these two things are connected in his brain. Soon, at the sight of a cup of coffee or the first signs of anxiety, he begins to feel cravings for cigarettes. And the more a person continues to reward this behavior with tobacco, the more it is fixed in memory. In this sense, tobacco addiction is indeed a vicious circle of learned memories and reinforced behaviors.
How to use CBD to quit smoking tobacco
People smoking marijuana to stop smoking cigarettes is not a new phenomenon, but consuming high THC varieties several times a day is unrealistic and unacceptable for many. While the use of CBD for smoking cessation does not change the mind, but helps reduce stress and get rid of cravings for nicotine.
Also try replacing tobacco with CBD in your regular smoking rituals. Such tricks will make it easier to endure the stress associated with quitting nicotine.
