It can be like this even when you are 18

  • NateNate60@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    My friend, it seems like your anxiety is nicotine withdrawal. That explains why smoking makes your anxiety go away; you’re getting another hit of nicotine to ease off the withdrawal.

    Vaping isn’t harmless. Especially since you’re 18, it will inhibit your brain development and the chemicals in the vape are chronically toxic. Nicotine is extremely addictive. Many people get addicted after just a few goes.

      • papalonian@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        though I’ve picked up vaping because of my anxiety…

        Seems like you’re already figured this out, but that doesn’t really mean anything. People start drinking alcohol (a depressant) because they’re depressed.

        Signed, a previously anxious pothead.

        • sanpedropeddler@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          I don’t think a substance being a depressant necessarily says anything about its effect on actual depression, but otherwise I agree with your sentiment.

          • ULS@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            What do you mean… It’s literally how it works? Alcohol suppresses your neurotransmitters from firing at a regular rate. Thus causing depression. How it effects your gaba receptors I believe is what causes the i-can-do-anything happy effect.

            For me if I stay drinking I keep the energy and false happiness but that wears off faster than the affect it has on neurotransmitters.

            I’m more normal and function when I drink and it gives me energy because usually my anxiety or BPD is so draining I assume. I pass as a normal person lol. But shortly after stopping the depression is felt.

            …iirc… Just what I gathered from psychology class and personal life.

            • adj16@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              No, you’re conflating two different concepts that share the term. Alcohol directly causes central nervous system depression, which is distinct from depressive disorder (aka depression) - the neurological condition. Regular alcohol use/abuse can lead to depressive disorder, but in an indirect way. CNS depressants (alcohol) actually increase GABA neurotransmitter activity, which slows brain activity. This effect on your nervous system has no known direct link to depressive disorder.

            • sanpedropeddler@sh.itjust.works
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              5 months ago

              I’m not aware of the supression of neurotransmission directly resulting in depression. I know alcohol does worsen depression, but I don’t think that’s a result of it being a depressant.

              Here’s an article that seems to agree with me.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Smoking, whether electronic cigarettes or tobacco, is never going to be only your problem. When you suffer these negative health effects, you become a burden on society. Not only is a sick person less economically productive, but they expend public resources in the form of additional healthcare expenditure (even in countries without universal healthcare, it is still highly Government-subsidised), increasing the likelihood of needing welfare, increasing the burden on already-strained public welfare programmes, and it, of course will damage your interpersonal relationships too.

        Addiction is progressive. It happens with tobacco too. Over time, the same amount of vape fluid will no longer “do the trick”. People who smoke tobacco will smoke larger and larger amounts for it as their body builds a tolerance to nicotine. Vape users will start needing stronger and stronger doses to ward of withdrawal. I personally know people who started vaping at 16 who are now 19 and need to vape every hour or they start experiencing withdrawal. This can and likely will eventually happen to you!

        I don’t mean to offend, but this is destructive behaviour. You are trying to tell me that you want to continue down a spiral of addiction instead of getting the help you need.

        Quitting is very hard. I’m not going to pretend that you’re a bad person for not being able to quit, because you’re not. But you need to force yourself against your will to help yourself. “I don’t want help” is ultimately going to lead to your own demise.

        You don’t need to defend your thoughts to me. I’m just some random person on the Internet, and untimately, I have no control over what you do. But you do need to defend them to yourself. Don’t cheat yourself out of a fulfilling, addiction-free, anxiety-free life. Plus, you’ll save a lot of money on vapes over your lifetime.

        0% of people who quit smoking or quit vaping regret it, but nearly 100% of those who don’t quit and get even more addicted wish they could have stopped sooner.

        • neat_neat_neat@lemmygrad.ml
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          5 months ago

          concern for an 18 yr old’s health because you’re a fellow human = broke

          stop smoking because you won’t have any economic value if you get sick = woke

      • Resistentialism@sopuli.xyz
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        5 months ago

        Yeee. I started smoking from anxiety and depression.

        10 years later, and now im stuck with an addiction I wish I had never started. It stopped doing anything for me quite a few years back. Very occasionally, it helps settle me. But like. It’s straight up not even worth it, when I can manage that lot woth literally anything else.

  • adj16@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    There are better ways to manage your anxiety than with nicotine. You’re anxious about your parents finding out because you know they’ll be upset, and they’ll be upset because of the negative impact you’re having on yourself by vaping. Maybe you should consider why they would feel that way.

    • can@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      The impact being it’s super fucking addicting. Trust me, as I hit my vape, avoid nicotine at all costs.

      • Rustmilian@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        It’s permanent too. As someone who managed to quit smoking cigarettes & vapes which wasn’t too hard for me personally, I still get withdrawal jitters if someone smokes or vapes around me.
        Even just this post mentioning nicotine made me feel the urge go get a pack of smokes.
        Once you’re addicted, it’s extremely hard to not relapse.

        • can@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          You’re telling me. I had finally weened myself down and hadn’t had any in months then the pandemic hit and the stress got to me and I caved.

          And now the regulations have changed where I am making it way harder to get your own juice and mix your own nicotine strengths to taper down. They claim they wanted to stop kids but all they really did was take power away from the adults who were already hooked. And the teens are still easily acquiring their strong disposables so nothing good actually came from it.

  • flashgnash@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    The only reason vaping or smoking makes you feel less anxious is because withdrawal makes you more anxious

    • beefcat@beehaw.org
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      5 months ago

      it’s wild to me how willingly people will give themselves over to nicotine addiction

      i blame our nonsensical drug laws that rank cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms as “worse” than nicotine and alcohol, even though the latter two are more harmful and much more addictive

      i love me some cannabis, i’ll have the occasional mushroom, and i even enjoy a glass of whiskey every now and then, but nicotine scares the absolute hell out of me

      • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        Okay this is kinda backwards. Alcohol is worse than nicotine. Nicotine withdrawal doesn’t cause seizures or death. Nicotine is less destructive to an addict than alcohol is, although it’s more addictive overall.

        While cannabis and psychedelics should be legalized and can help many people they aren’t without risks. They can cause temporary psychosis and permanent sensory abnormalities/minor hallucinations. In some cases they can trigger diseases like schizophrenia. It’s all dependent on how your brain is wired and what happens when you are tripping/high.

        There was actually an off-duty airline pilot that nearly caused a major accident when traveling in the cockpit jump seat after taking mushrooms a few days before hand. He jumped up atns tried to shut off the engines, and very nearly succeeded. There is a great mentor pilot video on it if you can find it. It’s a great example of what can go wrong with psychedelic drugs. That man ended up in jail btw.

        • beefcat@beehaw.org
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          5 months ago

          alcohol is physiologically worse than nicotine, but not nearly as instantly addictive.

          i’ve watched people with much stronger mental fortitude than i try to quit nicotine and fail spectacularly. i don’t know any smokers who aren’t addicted.

          nicotine scares the hell out of me because i do not want to be a slave to it

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    5 months ago

    Quit before you’re truly addicted. If you’re still living with your parents you probably haven’t truly been hooked like you will be when you live on your own.

  • sexy_peach@feddit.deM
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    5 months ago

    I mean many people have to find this out themselves but smoking is highly addictive and you’ll regret having started for the rest of your life…

  • shiveyarbles@beehaw.org
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    5 months ago

    My mom found out while I was getting prepped for cancer surgery… nurse asks if I take marijuana, and I was like “ummm… Yes?”