Does smoking alleviate stress? That’s the question one reader asked, so the Mainichi looked into the issue.

吸烟是否可以缓解压力？一个读者曾经问道，因此（日本）《每日新闻》对此事进行了调查。

The reader, a Tokyo man in his 50s, asked, "I’ve heard that smoking reduces stress and it’s better for a smoker’s health to continue smoking. Is this true?"To answer this question, the Mainichi Shimbun turned to Masato Kano, a doctor and clinical psychologist specializing in guidance to help people quit smoking at Hoyukai Shinnakagawa Hospital in Yokohama.

这个读者是东京的一个50多岁的男子，他问道，“我听说吸烟可以减轻压力，并且吸烟者为了健康最好继续吸烟。这是真的吗？”为了回答这个问题，《每日新闻》求助于Masato Kano，Masato Kano是在日本横滨Hoyukai Shinnakagawa医院工作的一名医生和临床心理学家，他专门指导帮助人们戒烟。

The conclusion? Smoking does not reduce stress. The "stress reduction" that people think they feel after smoking is just an illusion, the result of nicotine alleviating withdrawal symptoms like irritation, difficulty in concentrating and restlessness.

结论是什么？结论是吸烟并不能减轻人们的压力。人们吸烟之后感觉到的压力减轻只是一个幻觉，减少像刺激物那样的尼古丁会出现脱瘾症状，这种脱瘾症状的结果就是人们难以集中精力并且会焦躁不安。

How was a cigarette the first time you tried it? Usually, first-time smokers only feel bad and don’t derive any pleasurable feelings from it. This is because just introducing nicotine into the body does not improve one’s mood. This contrasts with alcohol, which even in the first ingestion can intoxicate a person.

你是怎样第一次尝试吸烟的？通常，第一次吸烟者感觉不好并且没有从吸烟中没有获得愉悦的感觉。这是因为仅仅将尼古丁吸进身体不会改善人的情绪，这和酒精相反，即使第一次喝酒也能让人陶醉。

When a person continues smoking, their brain becomes lazy and does not as readily release dopamine, a brain hormone that is involved with feelings of happiness. When the nicotine in their body runs out, withdrawal symptoms cause them to feel less satisfaction with all parts of their life, from their meals to their job. When the person then smokes, they resupply the nicotine in their body and gain a sense of satisfaction for a time.

当一个人继续吸烟时，他们的大脑开始变得懒惰并且不愿意释放多巴胺，多巴胺是一种大脑的荷尔蒙，这种荷尔蒙能够使人产生快乐情感。当身体里的尼古丁消失殆尽时候，脱瘾症状会让人们对于他们从饮食到工作的所有方面都感觉到不满。当人们吸烟时，他们的身体又重新获得尼古丁的供应了，他们就会获得一时的满意感。

The situation might be compared to wearing overly tight shoes and then obtaining a feeling of relief after taking them off. But we do not say "tight shoes relieve foot stress."

这种情况就好像穿着过紧的鞋子然后脱掉鞋子之后获得释放的感觉一样。但我们不能说“紧鞋子释放脚的压力。”

Rather, if a person stops smoking, the usual stress caused by nicotine withdrawal symptoms will disappear, and their mental health will improve. Kano says he often hears from his patients who quit smoking that they have less trouble in their interactions with other people, and while driving they are kinder toward pedestrians and other drivers.

当然啦，如果一个人停止吸烟，这种由尼古丁脱瘾症状引起的常见压力就会消失，并且他们的精神上的健康会得到改善。Kano说他经常听到他那些戒烟的患者们说他们在和其他人交流方面麻烦少了，并且开车时，他们会对行人和其他司机更宽容。

We know that around half of smokers die early due to smoking-related illnesses, so forcing oneself to quit is better for the health than continuing to smoke. Even if smoking did alleviate stress, since it is bad for the health it would be a case of mistaken priorities. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms last only a week at most. You can definitely quit.

我们知道，大约有一半的吸烟者会患有与吸烟相关的疾病而早死，所以强迫自己戒烟比继续吸烟更有利于健康。即使吸烟真的缓解压力，但是由于吸烟有害于健康，吸烟也是一个被误解的选择。尼古丁脱瘾症状最多只持续一周。你一定能戒除烟瘾的。

Source: news.iyuba.com