# cigarettes????



## Hawthorne13 (Sep 17, 2016)

I smoke cigarettes at least 10 a day. Does this prolong derealization or make it worse??? Just a curious question....


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## dope (Aug 31, 2016)

Yes, it does.

You've got to stop with those stuff, it'll only make your dp worse....also, get your addiction checked. Don't smoke 10 cigarettes a day, that'll only make your life and body worse...get that addiction treated.


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## Hawthorne13 (Sep 17, 2016)

dope said:


> Yes, it does.
> You've got to stop with those stuff, it'll only make your dp worse....also, get your addiction checked. Don't smoke 10 cigarettes a day, that'll only make your life and body worse...get that addiction treated.


Thanks for the answer, with that being said my addiction has automatically ceased as of today. That's all I needed to hear.


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever as to whether smoking does or doesnt make DP worse...

I have a good friend (a much older man) who has suffered with schizophrenia for many years and he swears smoking helps alleviate his symptoms...He says it helps him remain calmer when he feels particularly ill....Go figure!!!

Now the simple fact is smoking WILL destroy your physical health...The list of physical illnesses and cancers that it leads to are endless....I smoked 30 to 40 a day for years until I quit completely about 12 years ago....Quitting smoking cigarettes did nothing to improve my DP related symptoms (ive had DP for many years now) but physically it improved me ten fold..... I feel fitter now at 44 than I did when I was 24...

There are absolutely no positive reasons to continue smoking....Quitting will be one of the best things you will ever do in life....

The big plus from quitting smoking amongst all the other good positive million plus reasons is the money you will save....My tip!!!!! Quit and buy yourself nice useful things out of the money instead....Stuff you actually have to show and use and keep for your hard earned money...You might as well roll up dollar bills and smoke them as opposed to smoke cigarettes.... What a complete waste of money that you probably busted your ass to make in the first place!!!!

By the way if you were wondering about alcohol and recreational drugs (like weed etc) when it comes to DP I would say this...Keep on using these types of drugs and expect your DP to hang around much much longer.....In fact it might not even ever go away if you continue to abuse your mind with drugs of that kind...


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## dope (Aug 31, 2016)

Hawthorne13 said:


> Thanks for the answer, with that being said my addiction has automatically ceased as of today. That's all I needed to hear.


 That's good. Hopefully, you'll feel better.


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## TDX (Jul 12, 2014)

> There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever as to whether smoking does or doesnt make DP worse...


My data (only N=8) suggests that it can change symptoms slightly, but probably not permanent:

+---------------+----+
| Sandy | 1 |
| Anthony | 1 |
| aaron | -2 |
| Dan | 1 |
| Jason D | -2 |
| Nate | -1 |
| Sean | -1 |
| Martin Horton | 0 |
+---------------+----+


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## NomadicGalaxy (Oct 6, 2016)

Cigarettes have been tricky for me. I was exactly like you, around 10 smokes a day, when my DP started. Cutting down progressively definitely helped. I would notice some days where I smoked a lot that my DP/anxiety were particularly bad. I even suspect smoking and caffeine were large factors that started my DP. I eventually got to the point where I would go a day or two without a smoke, but then my anxiety and DP became really intense, probably as a result of the nicotine withdrawal. I've found I feel good with 1-2 a day.


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## Disruption (Apr 24, 2016)

i always loved weed and some other natural drugs but since dp/dr these drugs gave me panic (didnt try shrooms or lsd since onset) and so i started smoking cigs 1 1/2 year after my dp/dr started and the first few times i smoked i had panic attacks too..but it eventually subsided completely and now im addicted but i only smoke 2 - 4 cigs a day...sometimes less... now ive caught a fucking cold 3 days ago and have high fever...so i dont smoke and experience fever induced hallucinations + nicotine withdrawl..and i dont even give a fuck....i guess i will cut down to 1 cigarette a week or quit completely when i feel better...i can definately say that my fever helps me to stop smoking...even though i dont have to...

to answer your question...i dont feel like cigs increase my symptoms unless i smoke and do something exhausting afterwards...but this is something i wouldnt recommend to anyone


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2016)

I've been a smoker for years, and I do think it contributes to mental health issues. I can't give any statistics, but I'm sure I read that smokers are more likely to have problems, and I guess that's not surprising when you think about it, as the mechanism seems to work on anxiety. Withdrawal feels like worry, then there is the chemical stress on your body. It's an extra layer of stress on top of whatever other stresses you might have.


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## Alex617 (Sep 23, 2015)

dope said:


> Yes, it does.
> 
> You've got to stop with those stuff, it'll only make your dp worse....also, get your addiction checked. Don't smoke 10 cigarettes a day, that'll only make your life and body worse...get that addiction treated.


Bullshit, there's no evidence to suggest that it affects dp/dr.



Phantasm said:


> I've been a smoker for years, and I do think it contributes to mental health issues. I can't give any statistics, but I'm sure I read that smokers are more likely to have problems, and I guess that's not surprising when you think about it, as the mechanism seems to work on anxiety. Withdrawal feels like worry, then there is the chemical stress on your body. It's an extra layer of stress on top of whatever other stresses you might have.


What you read was in most likelihood the assertion that people with mental health issues are more likely to take up smoking. Causation =/= correlation.

To the OP, I suggest you eventually quit for your health. However, if you need it to cope for now, then don't beat yourself up about it. Nicotine is a stimulant, so too much can increase anxious thoughts, but withdrawal is not something you should go through until you get better. When I was at my worst, I would smoke 25-35 cigarettes a day. I can't imagine what I would do dealing with withdrawal at that time. At the moment I'm not smoking.


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2016)

Alex617 said:


> Bullshit, there's no evidence to suggest that it affects dp/dr.
> 
> What you read was in most likelihood the assertion that people with mental health issues are more likely to take up smoking. Causation =/= correlation.


I think I just read that a much higher percentage of smokers have mental health problems than non-smokers. I don't know if people with mental health issues are more likely to start smoking. I guess some will have more risk-taking behaviors, but then many also become risk-averse and avoid smoking, so I don't know if it's significant. I think most people just make the mistake of trying it and find out at some point down the line they are hooked.

From my own experience, I think smoking can act as an introduction to dissociation - a thin end of the wedge if you like - because it causes a schism between the part of us that feels we need them and the part that knows we should quit. In fact most cigarettes are smoked automatically and the smoker is barely conscious of doing it because it's actually very unpleasant and they don't want to think about what they are doing to their health - they dissociate from that part. It might not lead to full DP/DR, but it doesn't help.

Then there is the basic matter of inhaling smoke all day, which makes you woozy and fuzzy headed.


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