Cigarette smoking has become so normalized it’s easy to overlook how damaging lighting up can be, both for your body and those around you. But for habitual tobacco users, the road to smoking cessation is long with many obstacles like withdrawal, oral fixation, anxiety, and habit triggers. Before you click that lighter again, consider this – could CBD be a secret weapon helping you finally give cigarettes the boot?
Let’s review the science on how CBD could help extinguish smoking urges for good. When it comes to your health, give CBD a shot and smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em…out of your life!
Table of Contents
Why Quitting Smoking is So Hard
Smoking brings both the positive reinforcement of nicotine’s effects and the ingrained habit of puffing. Breaking free requires tackling both factors:
Nicotine Withdrawal – When nicotine levels drop, withdrawal symptoms like irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, insomnia, nausea, and intense cravings emerge.
Behavioral Habits – The hand-to-mouth motion, need to hold something, and built-in smoking rituals create deeply-entrenched conditioned behaviors.
As most former smokers know, willpower alone rarely overcomes such profound biological and psychological forces driving the urge to spark up.
The Potential Role of CBD in Smoking Cessation
Could supplementing with CBD help reduce smoking dependence? Early research is intriguing:
Reduces Withdrawal and Cravings – CBD may ease nicotine cravings and anxiety symptoms during nicotine deprivation.
Lessens Cue-Induced Cravings – Seeing cigarettes or accustomed smoking settings often triggers urge to smoke. CBD reduced cue-induced cravings in a study.
Manages Withdrawal Severity – In a clinical trial, CBD mitigated irritability, sleep disturbances, and other withdrawal discomforts.
Improves Decision Making – By reducing impulsivity in limbic regions, CBD may support better choices around smoking temptation.
So by directly alleviating withdrawal and cravings while empowering restraint, CBD shows promise for making quitting stick!
Best Practices for Using CBD to Quit Cigarettes
If using CBD to quit smoking, here are some best practices:
Start CBD ahead of quitting – Build up CBD levels in your system prior to your target quit date.
Use oral delivery – Vaping introduces inhaled actions while edibles are harder to dose precisely. Oils or capsules deliver stable CBD levels.
Dose consistently – Split CBD doses evenly throughout the day to maintain steady therapeutic effects.
Up dosage if needed – Increase CBD incrementally if cravings or other withdrawal symptoms persist.
Stick to a plan – Stay diligent with CBD and quit aids like nicotine gum through the multi-month struggle.
Avoid relapse triggers – Steer clear of high temptation situations especially early on.
While not a standalone miracle cure, CBD can provide invaluable support during the quitting gauntlet.
Lifestyle Modifications That Enhance Quitting Success
For optimal results, pair CBD supplementation with other evidence-based smoking cessation strategies:
Counseling – Working with a therapist helps modify behavioral patterns and navigate hurdles.
Education – Learning more about smoking’s health effects boosts motivation and commitment.
Nicotine replacement – Nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, or inhalers ease withdrawal.
Social support – Recruit friends and family to cheer on your journey.
Stress management – Yoga, meditation, massage and other relaxation techniques reduce stress triggers.
Healthy habits – Improved diet, exercise, and sleep further restore balance.
With CBD easing the biochemical burden, implementing lifestyle changes can help conquer smoking for good. Ditch those darts and get started on the road to deep breaths of fresh air!