CBD to quit smoking: does it actually work?
How CBD can help stop smoking tobacco
What if it was possible to use CBD to quit smoking? With the health risks it presents, many consumers would dream of doing without tobacco. And faced with the lack of effectiveness of conventional treatments, Cannabidiol appears to be a promising solution to give up smoking cigarettes. But does it actually work? Let’s look at this together.
CBD to stop smoking: what about addiction?
Nicotine, a highly addictive substance
Nicotine is the main reason why people become addicted to cigarettes. When you smoke, this substance naturally present in the tobacco plant is absorbed by the lungs, which are directly connected to the bloodstream. The outcome? Nicotine can reach the brain in just a few seconds.
Thus, the substance acts directly on the central nervous system and creates, over time, both a physical and psychological dependence. To quit smoking is therefore often accompanied by tobacco withdrawal symptoms that can plague your daily life.
The concern is that instead of treating these symptoms, most of the solutions developed by the pharmaceutical industry to accompany the cessation of smoking such as nicotine patches only maintain this addiction to nicotine, in addition to being dangerous to health.
CBD: a natural alternative without any risk of addiction
This is why many people turn to CBD, which can also be inhaled through a vape or vaporizer. And where some people still believe that consuming CBD would be like replacing one addictive substance with another, we want to reassure you: CBD is absolutely not addictive.
Like tobacco, CBD stimulates the production of dopamine, which causes feelings of pleasure and reward. Over time, tobacco reduces the brain's ability to produce dopamine naturally, which makes us want to use more and more of it to get the feelings it gives.
The advantage of CBD is that it stimulates the production of dopamine without preventing the brain from producing it naturally. The brain does not become accustomed to the molecule, so you can take it for years and stop overnight without feeling withdrawal. Pretty cool, huh?
If you want more details on the action of CBD on dopamine, go to our article on CBD and the brain.
The potential of CBD to help quit smoking
TraTreating withdrawal symptoms with Cannabidiol
As we explained to you at the beginning, it is because of the withdrawal symptoms that it is very difficult to quit smoking. And this is where CBD can be very useful, because it helps to relieve many of them.
Where the famous smoke break is a moment of relaxation for smokers, quitting smoking is a major source of stress and anxiety. Some even develop sleep disorders. Like flowers such as Fruit Cake, CBD promotes relaxation by supporting the production of serotonin and balancing the receptor related to respiratory discomfort and blood pressure.
Deprived of the dopamine provided by cigarettes, former smokers can go through all sorts of unpleasant emotions: withdrawal makes them irritable and frustrated, morale is in the toilet, and with that, it’s difficult to concentrate on everyday tasks. Fortunately, CBD is there to relieve these difficult moments by improving the mood (this is particularly the specialty of our Beach vape) and promoting concentration, as is the case for the Focus vape.
Withdrawal is also accompanied by physical symptoms, including headaches. Thanks to its analgesic properties, CBD from flowers such as Tuttufrutti effectively soothes pain.
For more information, do not hesitate to consult our article on the many benefits of CBD.
CBD: the solution to overcome the habit of smoking?
But going without tobacco does not only involve withdrawal symptoms. The proof is the very low success rate of nicotine-based treatments. If they don't work, it's because to quit smoking also means losing the reflex to smoke.
Beyond the physical and psychological dependence, for many people, smoking is a ritual, a social activity. Expressions such as "smoke break" or "social smokers" are enough proof of that. By dint of practicing it several times a day, for years, smokers develop an addiction to holding a cigarette between their fingers and bringing it to their mouth.
And to treat this habit, CBD is a very promising avenue. Vaping CBD flowers and especially the use of CBD vapes allow to keep this gesture while replacing tobacco with a much more beneficial substance.
This is evidenced by a study conducted by the University College London. The researchers gave CBD to inhale to a first group of subjects, and a placebo to the second. After only one week, those who had received CBD had reduced their cigarette consumption by 40%, a trend that continued to be maintained over the long term.
Conclusion ? CBD is becoming more and more popular as one of the most effective solutions to quit smoking. In any case, at Cakespace, we will continue to follow this with the utmost attention ... if you want to stay informed about CBD, it's time to join us on instagram!
Cake it easy,
Joséphine