Hi Ammar, (and one other who has this question.)
I'm not a doctor nor do I consider myself clinically depressed, so take what I write for what it's worth and hopefully others with experiences more similar to yours will chime in too. But I've been depressed. Really depressed. I always looked at it as legitimate depression, because I had a lot about which to be sad. So I was. And anxiety! OMG! Have I had anxiety! Sometimes I still get fearful everything could come tumbling down around me. Did smoking make things better for me? Only as far as the short-lived dopamine-bursts went. Did they make things worse. Without question. I became addicted to nicotine. Nicotine became a life priority. I was slowly destroying my health; draining myself of energy. I was wasting my money and my time. I wore away my self-respect. Cripes! If that's not depressing and worthy of anxiety, I don't know what is. But the nicotine-induced dopamine bursts made me think I was coming out ahead. I had stepped in the trap. I was an addict.
I've found the more you know about beating addiction to nicotine, the easier it is to quit smoking. And that really is what it is all about. You don't really even want to smoke. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. But you are addicted to nicotine, (all of us here are, or were.) Once you are on to his nicotine's ways and deceitful lies, you will find it within you to say, "NO MORE." Not One Puff Ever = N.O.P.E.
One of the best ways to get educated, in my opinion, is to read the Allen Carr book, The Easy Way To Quit Smoking. You can find a link to the free online version here. I also recommend doing the tasks outlined on this site in preparation for your quit, (even if you've already begun your quit,) because the first couple weeks, as you probably know already, are not what most people call fun, (sorry Mr. Carr.) But if you've planned ahead what you will do instead of smoking, since you won't be doing that anymore, you will get through. Once you beat the addiction, you will still need to master the old associations we wove with dopamine highs. It is a process. It is a journey. The only way to the other side, to the freedom of living smoke-free, is through. You can do this!
There are a handful of members here we all affectionately refer to as Elders; folks with sturdy, steady quits under their belts that hang around simply to help newbies like you along. Read their blogs, take their advice, trust them. They are wise, and they mean well.
Then, hang around here as much as you can. Whine, cry, scream, (wait! hit the brakes! SCREEEEEECH!!! What am I saying?) Laugh, giggle, smile and dance your way through this journey. It really is, as much as anything else, how you look at it. You are not giving up anything. You are gaining everything, from a healthier body, to increased wealth,to greater self-esteem, to a whole new awakening on life! It truly is freedom and it's yours for the taking. Sometimes I wonder if it is not better to be an Ex-smoker than a Never-smoked. You enjoy the same freedoms as they, but having been a slave to the addiction for so many days, you appreciate the freedom so much more.
So welcome aboard. We are all here to walk this journey with you. Educate, prepare, commit, and then quit. It really is as simple as that.
