Can CBD Help You Quit Smoking?
For many people, a return to wellness means leaving behind unhealthy vices and habits that hinder their bodies.
Millions of Americans live with nicotine addiction, and most common solutions seem to leave much to be desired. Many people who attempt to quit will fail, and they’ll begin a cycle of smoking and stopping. They know what they need to do, but they just can’t seem to do it.
CBD is beloved for its ability to support the body in many different ways. It’s natural, safe, non-addictive, and innately easy for your body to utilize. It’s a great addition to any wellness ritual, and it’s extremely helpful for holistically enhancing many of your body’s processes.
But can you use CBD to quit smoking? Let’s discuss.
What Is Nicotine and Why Is It Addictive?
Nicotine is a compound that naturally occurs in tobacco plants. All-natural tobacco products contain nicotine, and tobacco replacement vaporizer products are fortified with nicotine.
Anything you inhale rapidly enters your bloodstream and begins to produce effects, and chewing tobacco has a similar effect by promoting the rapid absorption of nicotine through the soft tissue of your mouth.
When nicotine enters the body, it impacts your brain. It creates a sensation that many people would describe as similar to relaxation when they initially begin smoking. The brain becomes dependent on nicotine’s influence and will crave more when it senses lower nicotine levels in the body.
Many people who have been smoking for a long time will no longer experience the relaxation effects of nicotine to a significant extent, as they’ve adapted to the benefits. They may increase the amount they smoke each day to reach levels of relaxation.
Eventually, they’ll reach a point where they’re no longer smoking because they enjoy the way it makes them feel but because their brain craves the presence of nicotine.
Why Is Smoking Bad for You?
Inhaling anything into your lungs, particularly smoke, is harmful to your lungs. Exposure to chemicals in the smoke damages healthy cells throughout the body, and the body will constantly attempt to repair the damage.
How Long Does It Take for Nicotine To Leave Your System?
Many smoking cessation advocates claim that nicotine leaves your system within 1 to 3 days, but test results tell a very different story. Your body could still be expelling nicotine metabolites for up to two weeks after the date you quit.
During this time, you may be irritable and experience frequent urges to smoke. Many people who unsuccessfully attempt to quit will return to cigarettes within this period of time.
Nicotine Is Not the Only Reason Smoking Is Addictive
Nicotine does have addictive properties, but it may not be a primary driver in people’s dependence on cigarettes. For many people, cigarettes are an important ritual tethered to their routine. A smoke break gives them a minute to collect their thoughts, go for a short walk outside, or take a moment to ease feelings of stress and tension.
When you smoke, you’re essentially meditating. It’s a five to ten minute soothing ritual that recalibrates you. This meditative time is actually very good for you. It’s an excellent idea to take short breaks throughout the day to pause and refresh before returning back to the task at hand.
It’s also a great idea to go outside for a few minutes and observe nature.
The problem is that people tether this ritual to their cigarettes. It gives them something passive and low effort to do during this time, and an excuse to do it.
When cigarettes are removed from your everyday life, it can be a shock to your routine. You don’t know what to do with that extra time. You may feel stress and tension as a result of the disruption of your ritual. Your meditative time is suddenly gone.
Most people don’t realize that the loss of these meditative moments is what’s making it so difficult to quit. You may be overwhelmed by what you’re feeling, and your brain directly attributes it to cigarettes. You may not be thinking about everything else surrounding the cigarette, and that’s what’s most important.
Don’t give up short walks outside or meditative moments. Don’t give up the ten minute break you give yourself every hour or so. Just give up the cigarette and find something else to do with your hands. Braid twine, crochet, or grab an adult coloring book. Keep everything else the same.
What Is CBD?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid. Most CBD products are derived from hemp plants, which are cannabis plants that contain naturally lower levels of THC. CBD works with a system in your body called your endocannabinoid system that provides overall support to many other systems within your body.
When the receptors of this system receive CBD, they become stimulated. When they’re stimulated, they do a better job of providing their support functions.
CBD is safe for most people to use. Side effects are rare and mild. Best of all, CBD has never demonstrated potential for addiction. When you use CBD, you aren’t running the risk of fostering a dependency. You’re simply utilizing and enjoying the holistic support it provides to restore your body’s homeostasis.
Can CBD Help You Quit Smoking?
There is no surefire way to quit smoking. The biggest factor in giving up cigarettes is a genuine desire to do so and a commitment to making a permanent change. There is no supplement, meditation, or technique that will offer results superior to your own commitment or willpower.
That having been said, many people experience unpleasant symptoms when they’re attempting to quit smoking. Managing some of the stress you feel when making such a major change might increase your chances of success.
Quitting smoking is a different process for everyone who does it. If you haven’t seen success using other methods, it couldn’t hurt to try something safe like CBD. Anything safe that helps you quit smoking is a good tool to have in your arsenal, particularly if you can utilize it to your advantage and successfully quit.
How Does CBD Support You While You’re Quitting Nicotine?
One of the benefits people find most useful when they use CBD to quit smoking is CBD’s ability to promote relaxation. Many people feel very irritable, upset, emotional, and stressed out when they’re trying to quit.
These people need productive distractions and healthy activities to help them cope with the significant change to their lifestyle and routine. They also need to soothe their nerves in order to effectively distract themselves.
CBD works to reduce emotional tension and support mental clarity. The soothing effects of CBD can help to take the edge off of the side effects you experience when you’re working to give up cigarettes.
You can use CBD daily while you’re working towards quitting and every day after that to continue enjoying the holistic wellness benefits. CBD has cumulative effects, so daily use is crucial for continued support.
You need to be sure you’re using it regularly in order to experience the full wealth of benefits.
CBD won’t do all the work. It can certainly help, but you need to be mindful of the other choices you’re making and reach a state in your mind where you’re fully committed to the idea of quitting. CBD can only make it easier for you to stay relaxed throughout the process.
Do You Have to Smoke the CBD?
You don’t have to smoke CBD to get the benefits of CBD. Many people choose to inhale CBD because inhalation is a rapid delivery method. When you’re trying to quit smoking cigarettes, smoking something else is contrary to the point. You want your lungs to heal and recover.
CBD oil goes under your tongue and is absorbed by your bloodstream. It isn’t as fast as inhalation, but it also doesn’t pose any risk to the health of your lungs. CBD oil will get to work within an hour. Taking it before you experience emotional distress may be the most helpful way to reduce the severity of emotional distress should it occur.
Give Up THC and Nicotine at the Same Time
CBD doesn’t need to be derived from plants that contain THC. If you’re looking to give up substances like nicotine, you’re probably also looking to avoid substances like THC.
We make our CBD from the terpenes (aromatic compounds) of orange peels. It works exactly the same way as hemp-derived CBD, but it doesn’t contain any THC.
Make Peels a part of your daily ritual and prioritize your wellness.
Sources
Nicotine Is Why Tobacco Products Are Addictive | FDA
Beneficial effects of nicotine | PubMed
Nicotine Tests | Michigan Medicine
Nicotine Withdrawal: Symptoms, Treatments & Other Remedies | Cleveland Clinic