Cigarettes have been used as a negative coping mechanism and most of us are aware about it.

There have been a rise in the sales of cigarettes for the first time in two decades, people have developed the habit of smoking during the pandemic period, people often use it as coping mechanism or an alternative for mental health care.

Lauren Debiac, MA, Addictions Therapist at The Ohana Luxury Drug Rehab in Hawaii, shared that, “The past few years have been especially stressful for many people, with the pandemic, lockdowns, and racial injustices. Many people have been affected by these issues."

“Younger people, especially, are more vulnerable to stress and mental health issues," she says, "So, it’s not surprising that younger people are turning to cigarettes to help them cope.”

Debiac explains that, nicotine is both an addictive chemical in cigarettes and is also a stimulant. That is it can increase serotonin and bring in feelings of happiness and relaxation.

These results shows the inaccessibility of mental health care for a lot more people. There is still a mental health treatment gap even though there are many awareness happening. Especially the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities are still facing barriers to access the mental health care. The mental health of the youngsters in the US and globally is also declining which is a major reason why they depend upon the smoking habit.

“Another factor is that many young people don’t quite understand the dangers involved in cigarette smoking,” Debiac explains. “There have been fewer messages aimed at young adults in recent years that speak to the dangers of cigarette smoking.”

As everyone knows smoking does no good for our health, but the younger people feel that it couldn't affect them until far in the future. They think currently using them wouldn't lead them to much of consequences and it helps them now. So this lack of awareness needs to be first sorted and then they need to get proper professional help in order understood the root cause of developing the habit.

Sources - https://www.verywellmind.com/rise-in-smoking-5224254