Smoking cigarettes is often called a slow form of suicide. The damage from repeated inhalation can take real years off a life. But newer research points to something more direct: smoking doesn’t just carry long-term health risk, it appears to be linked to a person’s actual desire to end their life.
CBS News reported on a study published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research finding that smokers have a 2 to 4 times higher risk of suicide than non-smokers. The same study found that people who smoke are more likely to have psychiatric disorders or to also struggle with drugs or alcohol. Marijuana is often called the gateway drug, but this research makes a real case for tobacco to carry that label instead.
Richard Grucza, PhD, the paper’s lead author, has suggested that nicotine is a plausible explanation for the link between smoking and suicide risk. His theory: people start using nicotine to feel good, the way they might with any other drug, and over time the drug stops producing that same effect, so more of it becomes necessary just to feel normal. The exact link is still being studied, but the question itself is a useful starting point for understanding how what we put into our bodies affects not just us, but the people who love us.
As someone eleven years removed from alcohol and crystal meth dependence, I know firsthand what it feels like to need a drug just to feel normal. I also know how powerful and difficult tobacco specifically can be to quit. I’ve been free of cigarettes for years now, and having lived through what it takes to overcome addiction, I’ve built my career around helping others carry that same burden and come out the other side.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, our team is here to talk it through, including support for depression and suicide risk when the two are connected. And if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text.
It’s easy to see how putting harmful things into our bodies can leave us feeling worse, even depressed. It won’t push everyone toward suicide, but that doesn’t mean the suffering underneath isn’t real. Movement, real food, and healthy choices genuinely help us feel better, and when we ask for help, hope is closer than it seems. Put the tobacco down. Be smart, be safe, and be well.
