Facing holiday stress while using nicotine Published Nov. 25, 2014 By Staff Health Promotions TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The holidays are quickly approaching and you might be starting to feel the stress that comes along with them. That's not a reason to use tobacco! Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products all contain nicotine, the agent in tobacco that causes addiction. Most electronic cigarettes contain nicotine and are classified as a tobacco product. Nicotine has been linked to stress, but nicotine and stress are like the chicken and the egg; which one comes first? Does stress cause you to light up a cigarette or chew dip? Or maybe the nicotine in tobacco causes you to feel stressed? The answers might surprise you. It's all part of a trick nicotine is playing on your body, and it starts with nicotine addiction. When nicotine is inhaled or absorbed, it enters the bloodstream and is quickly sent to the brain. Once there, nicotine causes temporary sensations of pleasure, satisfaction, and reward. Brain cells become desensitized and develop tolerance to these effects very quickly and require increasing levels of nicotine in order to regain those feelings of pleasure. The result? Your brain tells your body to keep supplying nicotine, and when it doesn't get it fast enough, nicotine cravings kick in. Ready for the truth? While many people may feel they are using tobacco as a way to relax or de-stress, nicotine actually causes the opposite effect. Studies have shown that nicotine intensifies stress. Feelings of calmness or pleasure during tobacco use are really just momentary reliefs from the unpleasant effects that come along with nicotine cravings (including stress). Those feelings of stress and anxiety will return once the nicotine leaves their system and the cycle begins again. A recent study looked at the connection between tobacco use and stress among U.S. military personnel and found that those who use tobacco specifically to reduce stress report much higher levels of stress than those who do not use tobacco. These results support the idea that not only is tobacco an ineffective way to cope with stress, but that the stress is related to the tobacco use in the first place. You can learn effective ways to manage stress, and by quitting tobacco you can break the cycle and eliminate the stress caused by nicotine addiction. Nicotine may cause stress, but quitting tobacco doesn't have to. It's easier said than done, but quitting tobacco can help relieve stress (among other benefits). It may be difficult at first but your persistence will pay off. Studies have found that stress levels continue to decline the longer an individual remains tobacco free. Research also shows that you are twice as likely to succeed in your attempt to quit using tobacco if you participate in a cessation program that includes support. Local support Health Promotion (the Health and Wellness Center) offers free "Quit Kits," BaccOff (a tea leaf alternative) to help you quit smokeless tobacco products, individual coaching sessions, tobacco cessation classes, and a monthly support group. Tobacco cessation medications are available through your PCM. The American Lung Association Tobacco Quitline is a free, confidential phone tobacco cessation program available to all Team Tinker members at 1-877-695-7848. Quit Tobacco - Make Everyone Proud offers 24/7 text message support through SmokefreeMIL. Sign up today at www.ucanquit2.org/SmokefreeMIL.aspx or text MIL to 47848. When you're ready to quit, we're here to help. Quit Tobacco - Make Everyone Proud at UcanQuit2.org and Health Promotion at Tinker Wellness Center, Bldg 5922.