When Stopping Smoking Makes You Sad

A client of mine, Mike, was seeing me for stop smoking help.A� He came into the office telling me he was pretty pleased with himself as thus far as he wasn’t smoking. Mike was also pleasantly surprised that he was already feeling physically better for not having smoked but from his body language and expression I could tell that something was clearly wrong.

I noticed he was looking really down. When I asked him what was going on he looked a bit sheepish and then reluctantly admitted that he was feeling very much as if someone had died and could only imagine it was to do with his quit attempt.

For Mike, this was an embarrassing thing to admit – why on earth would you mourn the ‘death’ of cigarettes? For me, it was one of the most common issues that comes up for quitters. In fact, it’s such a common occurrence in my work with quitters that I sometimes think it should be listed as a withdrawal symptom!

So, if you’re going through the same as Mike, don’t feel like you’re on your own in these feelings of loss. You have, after all, let go of something that was once very dear to you (regardless of whether it was slowly killing you or not) and very much a major part of your life.A� Don’t forget, it can be just as hard to say goodbye to an addiction as it is to a well-loved person in your life.

The good news is, as with bereavement in all its forms, time is a healer. This too will pass. Just make sure you’re supported whilst you’re going through it.