Recent research from KLAR, a next-generation bioceramic nicotine pouch brand, highlights just how intertwined smoking and mental health have become. According to the findings, 35% of smokers say stress and emotional challenges are their biggest obstacle to quitting, while more than one in five (22%) fear withdrawal symptoms so intensely that they avoid trying to stop altogether. A striking 73% of smokers and vapers plan to quit in 2025—but many have already attempted multiple times without success. Beyond the physical dependency, smoking casts a long psychological shadow: a third (35%) believe their habit has held them back professionally, whether through missed promotions, workplace stigma, or reduced focus. On a personal level, 36% have faced ultimatums from partners over their smoking, and nearly half (48%) admit to hiding it from loved ones.
These numbers paint a picture of addiction that extends far beyond the lungs. Smoking doesn’t just harm the body—it chips away at confidence, fuels anxiety, and isolates individuals both socially and emotionally. This aligns with a growing body of evidence linking tobacco use to poorer mental health outcomes. People who smoke are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, while those with existing mental health conditions are twice as likely to smoke daily compared to the general population.
Breaking the cycle
A recent study published in Health Expectations deepened this understanding by exploring the lived experiences of 17 adults in Queensland, Australia, all diagnosed with mental health conditions and recent quit attempts. Participants described smoking as both a comfort and a cage—a coping mechanism for anxiety, depression, and loneliness that ultimately worsened their self-esteem and sense of belonging. Withdrawal, they said, often intensified feelings of distress, making sustained quitting even harder. Despite these barriers, every participant agreed that life improved after quitting, citing better health, improved relationships, and greater social inclusion.
However, the study also made it clear that support for this group must go beyond nicotine replacement therapy. Participants called for counselling, peer support, stress management strategies, and harm reduction approaches that acknowledge the complex link between smoking and mental illness. Many criticised smoking bans in mental health facilities as punitive and counterproductive, arguing that coercive approaches often lead to relapse rather than recovery.
How compassionate tobacco policy can heal minds as well as bodies
These insights are especially relevant locally, in light of Australia’s current policy landscape which has become increasingly restrictive. In 2024, the government implemented sweeping bans on disposable vapes and tightened access to nicotine products, limiting legal sales to pharmacies. Combined with high tobacco taxes, these policies have fuelled a thriving AUD $10 billion black market—now estimated to account for half of all cigarettes consumed in the country. The unintended consequences include violent robberies, arson attacks on retailers, and declining tax revenues, highlighting the dangers of prohibitionist approaches.
Despite these challenges, people living with mental health conditions express a clear desire to quit. What they need is not more punishment, but more pathways. As harm reduction advocates have long argued, offering safer alternatives such as nicotine pouches, regulated vaping products, or heated tobacco can help individuals transition away from combustible cigarettes while maintaining their mental equilibrium. Sweden’s success story—achieving smoke-free status through the promotion of low-risk nicotine products like snus—proves that pragmatic, science-based policy can deliver dramatic public health gains.
Why mental health must be at the heart of harm reduction
The KLAR data underscores this need for realism and empathy. When quitting is framed as an all-or-nothing struggle, failure becomes inevitable. But when smokers are given options that meet them where they are—acknowledging both the physical and emotional dimensions of dependence—success becomes achievable. Harm reduction is not about surrendering to addiction; it’s about supporting recovery through compassion, choice, and science.
This World Mental Health Day, policymakers and public health leaders should remember that quitting smoking is not simply a matter of willpower—it’s an act of healing. Real progress will come when tobacco control embraces harm reduction as a tool not just for saving lives, but for restoring dignity, mental wellbeing, and hope.
Vapes Are The Preferred Smoking Cessation Aids Among People With Mental Health Conditions
