In brief: “Quitting smoking is not easy. But the benefits of quitting smoking are so immense that one cannot afford to continue smoking, putting their health and betterment to risk. However, quitting smoking has its own problems. The biggest issue that a smoker experiences while quitting smoking is the ‘quit smoking withdrawal symptoms’.”
Nicotine is as addictive as let’s say alcohol, cocaine and heroin. Therefore, it has its own set of nicotine withdrawals symptoms that differ from person to person. These are some quit smoking effects on the body.
Quit Smoking and Nicotine Withdrawals Symptoms
Of course, the most difficult are the first two or three weeks as soon as the smoker quits smoking. It is at this time that the cravings are at the peak. This is also the time when the smoker may very well get back to his or her smoking habits. Therefore, the smoker should be very careful around this time.
1. The craving: One of the simplest and most basic symptoms of nicotine withdrawal is the craving to smoke. This craving increases as the time goes by. In some cases, the craving is so intense that a person will also experience side effects like headaches, drowsiness, etc.
2. Physical impact: With the above mentioned symptoms, the person who has quit smoking will also experience coughing, a sore throat and even a dry mouth. The person can also experience constipation, stomach pain and gas. Sore tongue and gums are also known to be part and parcel of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. The smoker may even have a tingling sensation in the hands and the feet. The lungs will also give a cold and cough symptoms, as they begin to clear out. The smoker will even feel soreness on the tongue.
3. Behavioral impact: Also, once a smoker has decided to quit smoking, the person becomes quickly irritable and nervous. He or she may also find difficulty in doing their day to day activities, like drinking tea or reading the daily newspaper.
4. Psychological changes: Along with these physical problems, the smoker also faces a lot of mental anguish. So severe are the problems that a person can only get an idea of how serious the addiction to nicotine is. For one, the person has temper tantrums. He or she also develops the feelings of dependency. There are intense needs and in extreme cases, there might be near paralysis.
Keep in mind that these are only psychological changes in the mind. The smoker may also feel insomniac and have a mental confusion. The smoker may also experience vagueness and be more irritable than ever before. The smoker may also experience anxiety.
5. Depression: Depression is another common happening during the person’s quitting of smoking. The smoker may experience short term as well as long term depression. So drastic will be these emotions that the viewer may actually feel that the smoker has lost a loved one. There have been cases where the smoker has charted out a period of mourning to better facilitate him or her with his quit smoking program.
6. Mood swings and indefinite anger: The smoker will also experience mood swings and indefinite anger for even the smallest of things. The smoker may also experience boredom, simply because he does not have a cigarette while he or she does his favorite things, like watching a movie, or playing a game of pool.
7. Daily activities: The smoker will also feel a captive, he or she will think that they have been cooped up without their permission and trying to walk away or go away from wherever they are. The smoker will also experience dizziness and fatigue. He or she will not be able to complete their everyday tasks like driving to work, completing something important at work, etc.
Many will also experience a phase where they are not able to eat, or will lose their appetite. Also, they may stop eating or drinking something else that was related to smoking for them. For example, they might stop drinking tea or coffee, because they used to drink tea or coffee only when they used to smoke and vice versa.
These are just some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Almost every smoker has these quit smoking effects on their body and psyche.
Quit smoking: withdrawal symptoms – What do you think? Have you ever experienced any of the symptoms during nicotine withdrawal?
