While many students claim smoking eases their stress levels, recent studies suggest that smoking, which is known to be the cause of many health problems, might be tied to a list of other psychological problems including depression and suicidal tendencies.
College-aged students make up the largest percentage of smokers nationwide according to a study in the March edition of the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment.
The study said 40.8 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds reported having smoked in the past month.
Researchers compared smokers’ and nonsmokers’ essays about smoking and found that nicotine made participants use positive and happy words in their essays, supporting an idea that nicotine encourages pleasant feelings in smokers.
Because of this, many researchers think quitting is becoming impossible.
According to a study by Richard Hebert, a researcher with Taylor and Francis Health Sciences, published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, only 24 percent of people who quit smoking remain nonsmokers after six months.
A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in March linked smoking with depression and suicidal tendencies and thoughts.
A relationship between smokers and suicide was found in 4.3 percent of smokers, compared with 1.4 percent of former smokers who had successfully quit.
There is also a correlation between smoking and serotonin, a chemical that controls mood, emotion, sleep and appetite. Lower serotonin production is found in smokers, according to the study.
The study suggests smokers use nicotine to try to compensate for low serotonin production. Because of this correlation, it makes it more difficult for smokers to quit.
A study in this month’s Better Nutrition says that many people who cannot handle stress often turn to smoking.
Many students said they smoke because of stress.
Lauren Gauthreaux, a communication disorders senior, said she started smoking when she was a freshmen because of stress.
“I promised I would quit the day of my last exam, because I’m graduating, and it’s time to quit,” Gauthreaux said. “I can’t study without smoking.”
Travis Kiger, an English senior, said he’s never tried to quit and that there are two reasons why he smokes.
“If I’m stressed, my reaction is to smoke, coupled with the physical and chemical addiction,” Kiger said.
Caroline Zeretzke, an education junior, said she has tried to quit smoking seven times and has been smoking “long enough to know it’s a waste of money and lungs.”
After her attempts to quit, Zeretzke said she has learned that a quitter really has to want to stop.
“It’s a frame of mind,” she said. “Being able to quit anything that is a habit, you have to be completely ready to stop, and if you have a doubt, it’s hard.”
Robert O’Neil, a sociology instructor who smokes, said he did quit smoking once, but started again.
“I got in a very uncomfortable social situation, and the only way to get through was to buy a pack of cigarettes,” O’Neil said.