[An Nahar] Moderate or heavy smokers who quit tobacco get a boost in mental wellbeing that, for people who are anxious or stressed, is equivalent to taking anti-depressants, a study said Thursday.Then their lips fell off.
British researchers examined 26 published investigations into the mental health of smokers.
Published by whom?
They looked at standardized scorecards for symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life, derived from questionnaires completed by volunteers.
Ahah. Questionnaires. Can't go wrong with questionnaires. Of course, you have to correct for deviation. Straight lines come out looking kinda like hockey sticks. Sober scientists come out looking kinda like hockey pucks.
Sceptic...
The smokers were 44 years old on average and smoked between 10 and 40 cigarettes a day. They were questioned before they tried to give up smoking and again after their attempt -- an average of six months later.
That tells me the Smoking Nazis are lying through their pearly white tobacco stain-free teeth. If you smoke half a pack a day maybe you can quit without side effects. If you smoke better than a pack a day you can expect to become convinced the entire world is against you. You will then start to hate it back. "Goddammit" becomes punctuation. I speak from personal experience. The symptoms may decline after eight or nine years. I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet.
Those who succeeded in quitting reported reduced depression, anxiety and stress and had a more positive outlook on life compared with those who continued smoking.
Then their tongues fell out.
"The effect sizes are equal or larger than those of anti-depressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders," said the study, published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Lying bustards.
Quitters who had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders enjoyed a similar improvement.
Next thing you know they'll tell you the same thing about quitting drinking.