日本戒菸專家對吸菸能否緩解壓力做出解釋

Does smoking alleviate stress? That's the question one reader asked, so the Mainichi looked into the issue.

吸菸是否可以緩解壓力？一名讀者曾經這樣發問道，因此日本《每日新聞》對此進行了深入調查。

The reader, a Tokyo man in his 50s, asked, "I've heard that smoking reduces stress and it's better for a smoker's health to continue smoking. Is this true?"

這名讀者是東京的一個50多歲的男子，他問道，“我聽說吸菸可以減輕壓力，並且吸菸者爲了健康最好繼續吸菸。這是真的嗎？”

To answer this question, the Mainichi Shimbun turned to Masato Kano, a doctor and clinical psychologist specializing in guidance to help people quit smoking at Hoyukai Shinnakagawa Hospital in Yokohama.

爲了回答這個問題，日本《每日新聞》求助於在日本橫濱Hoyukai Shinnakagawa醫院工作的一名名叫Masato Kano的醫生及臨牀心理學家。他專門指導幫助人們戒菸。

The conclusion? Smoking does not reduce stress. The "stress reduction" that people think they feel after smoking is just an illusion, the result of nicotine alleviating withdrawal symptoms like irritation, difficulty in concentrating and restlessness.

結論是什麼？結論是吸菸並不能減輕人們的壓力。人們吸菸之後感覺到的壓力減輕只是一個幻覺，減少像刺激物那樣的尼古丁會出現脫癮症狀，這種脫癮症狀的結果就是人們難以集中精力並且會焦躁不安。

How was a cigarette the first time you tried it? Usually, first-time smokers only feel bad and don't derive any pleasurable feelings from it. This is because just introducing nicotine into the body does not improve one's mood.

你第一次嘗試吸菸的時候感覺怎麼樣？通常，第一次吸菸者感覺很不好，並且沒有從吸菸中獲得愉悅的感覺。這是因爲僅僅將尼古丁吸進身體不會改善人的情緒。

This contrasts with alcohol, which even in the first ingestion can intoxicate a person.

這一點和酒精相反，即使第一次喝酒也能讓人陶醉。

When a person continues smoking, their brain becomes lazy and does not as readily release dopamine, a brain hormone that is involved with feelings of happiness.

當一個人持續吸菸時，他們的大腦開始變得懶惰並且不願意釋放多巴胺。多巴胺是一種大腦中能夠使人產生快樂情感的荷爾蒙。

When the nicotine in their body runs out, withdrawal symptoms cause them to feel less satisfaction with all parts of their life, from their meals to their job. When the person then smokes, they resupply the nicotine in their body and gain a sense of satisfaction for a time.

當身體裏的尼古丁消失殆盡時候，脫癮症狀會讓人們對於他們從飲食到工作的所有方面都感覺到不滿。當人們吸菸時，他們的身體又重新獲得尼古丁的供應了，他們就會獲得一時的滿意感。

The situation might be compared to wearing overly tight shoes and then obtaining a feeling of relief after taking them off. But we do not say "tight shoes relieve foot stress."

這種情況就好像穿着過緊的鞋子然後脫掉鞋子之後獲得釋放的感覺一樣。但我們不能說“緊鞋子釋放腳的壓力。”

Rather, if a person stops smoking, the usual stress caused by nicotine withdrawal symptoms will disappear, and their mental health will improve.

當然啦，如果一個人停止吸菸，這種由尼古丁脫癮症狀引起的常見壓力就會消失，並且他們精神上的健康會得到改善。

Kano says he often hears from his patients who quit smoking that they have less trouble in their interactions with other people, and while driving they are kinder toward pedestrians and other drivers.

Kano表示，他經常聽到他那些戒菸患者們說他們在和其他人交流方面麻煩少了，並且開車時，他們會對行人和其他司機更寬容。

We know that around half of smokers die early due to smoking-related illnesses, so forcing oneself to quit is better for the health than continuing to smoke.

我們知道，大約有一半的吸菸者會患有與吸菸相關的疾病而早死，所以強迫自己戒菸比繼續吸菸更有利於健康。