Fact
Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can feel like symptoms of depression, anxiety, and irritability. Using nicotine may relieve these symptoms, which leads to the perception that nicotine improves mental health, when in reality it can worsen mental health.
Source 1:
Taylor, G., McNeill, A., Girling, A., Farley, A., Lindson-Hawley, N., & Aveyard, P. (2014, February 13). Change in mental health after smoking cessation: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The BMJ.