许多人吸烟是为了缓解精神压力，但英国一项最新研究说，这种认识是错误的，戒烟而不是吸烟才有助降低焦虑感。
英国伦敦国王学院等机构研究人员在新一期《英国精神病学期刊》上报告说，对491名参与戒烟计划的吸烟者进行了考察，他们最初吸烟的原因，有的是“纯为娱乐”，还有的是“应对压力”。他们在为期6个月的计划开始前和结束后都接受了心理测试，结果显示，所有成功戒烟者的焦虑感都降低，特别是那些为了“应对压力”而吸烟的人群，焦虑感下降更明显。
与此相对的是，那些在戒烟一段时间后又恢复吸烟的人，焦虑感又上升了，这种情况在因“应对压力”而吸烟的人群中比较明显。但在“纯为娱乐”而吸烟的人群中，没有出现这种因戒烟不成功而焦虑感上升的情况。(生物谷Bioon.com)
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.112.114389
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Change in anxiety following successful and unsuccessful attempts at smoking cessation: cohort study
Máirtín S. McDermott, Theresa M. Marteau, Gareth J. Hollands, Matthew Hankins and Paul Aveyard
Background Despite a lack of empirical evidence, many smokers and health professionals believe that tobacco smoking reduces anxiety, which may deter smoking cessation. Aims The study aim was to assess whether successful smoking cessation or relapse to smoking after a quit attempt are associated with changes in anxiety. Method A total of 491 smokers attending National Health Service smoking cessation clinics in England were followed up 6 months after enrolment in a trial of pharmacogenetic tailoring of nicotine replacement therapy (ISRCTN14352545). Results There was a points difference of 11.8 (95% CI 7.7–16.0) in anxiety score 6 months after cessation between people who relapsed to smoking and people who attained abstinence. This reflected a three-point increase in anxiety from baseline for participants who relapsed and a nine-point decrease for participants who abstained. The increase in anxiety in those who relapsed was largest for those with a current diagnosis of psychiatric disorder and whose main reason for smoking was to cope with stress. The decrease in anxiety on abstinence was larger for these groups also. Conclusions People who achieve abstinence experience a marked reduction in anxiety whereas those who fail to quit experience a modest increase in the long term. These data contradict the assumption that smoking is a stress reliever, but suggest that failure of a quit attempt may generate anxiety.
