Most people who have tried to quit smoking have started smoking again after a while. The reason is that the body, accustomed to a regular dose of nicotine, became ill without it, and the absence of cigarette smoke in the lungs caused a side effect. In science, this condition is called nicotine withdrawal. Not everyone can fight it, as cigarettes cause a strong and long-term addiction. How long does a nicotine withdrawal last? It all depends on the strength of this addiction.
What is nicotine withdrawal?
Nicotine withdrawal is commonly referred to as withdrawal symptoms associated with attempts to quit smoking cigarettes. Smoking for a long time leads to the fact that the body gets used to receiving a certain dose of nicotine, and when this dose is not replenished, the person acutely feels this lack, which is expressed in various physical and mental symptoms. The withdrawal mechanism is addictive: the body includes a psychogenic substance in its processes, attaches it to the system as a constantcomponent and eventually ceases to function properly without it.
Lack of motivation
Many non-smokers are skeptical about this phenomenon. They believe that this syndrome is not as serious as it is described. They see the reason for the difficult parting with cigarettes in the fact that smokers do not have enough willpower to part with a pleasant activity for them, which allows not only to relieve mental stress, but also to pass the long time at work. How long the nicotine withdrawal lasts depends on how much the smoker wants to end his addiction.
Some psychologists also argue that the physical symptoms of withdrawal are far-fetched, and the mental ones are based on the fact that smoking is a habit, and it is difficult to break any habit. In this regard, they advise those who wish to quit smoking to create for themselves a sustainable motivation for this, to convince themselves that smoking takes energy, money and time, and these are the most important components of life.
Characteristic symptoms
How long nicotine withdrawal lasts, symptoms, its various manifestations in different people may be different, but the following indications are most common:
- irritability and aggressiveness, violent negative reaction to minor factors;
- apathy: emotionally uncolored state, lack of motivation;
- mood swings, emotional outbursts;
- increased appetite,overeating;
- decreased libido, loss of sexual interest;
- disturbances in sleep and wakefulness: insomnia or excessively long sleep;
- muscle or bone pain;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- choking cough: is the most characteristic symptom of nicotine withdrawal and can be considered an indicator that smoking cessation is successful.
Stages of development of the syndrome
How long does nicotine withdrawal last when quitting smoking? The withdrawal period can be divided into several stages, each of which is characterized by its own symptoms and their severity:
- First day. The easiest stage, which is why many stop at it. At this time, the body is just beginning to experience discomfort, which does not manifest itself in specific symptoms. General well-being worsens, concentration decreases, anxiety and irritability appear.
- Climax. From the second day, the symptoms become more serious, and the person begins to experience physical pain. Many men become very aggressive and ferocious, and may use physical force in inappropriate situations. Women also become irritable and quick-tempered, but to a lesser extent. The body at this time is experiencing an acute desire to make up for the lack of nicotine. This stage is often accompanied by depression and even suicidal tendencies. How long the nicotine withdrawal lasts at this stage depends on many factors.
- First month. After overcoming the apogeebreaking the body begins to quickly clear itself of nicotine. At this time, the former smoker still has an obsessive desire to smoke a cigarette, but it is already weaker and easily suppressed. Immunity weakens due to the deprivation of one of its engines already built into the system, as a result of which chronic diseases can worsen, you can catch a cold. During this period, there is increased salivation and an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth.
During these stages, a person almost completely gets rid of the physical dependence on smoking, but the psychological dependence takes longer. This increases the risk of returning to a bad habit. The desire to smoke completely disappears after about a year, if you manage to avoid stressful situations. In this case, the period may be extended up to two years.
Personal Features
Although there is a periodization of nicotine withdrawal, it is impossible to determine exactly how long it will last for a particular smoker. So are the symptoms, which vary not only in strength but also in time.
There are several main factors that affect the course of the withdrawal syndrome in an individual:
- gender and age;
- smoking experience, the number of cigarettes smoked in a certain period of time;
- lifestyle features and a combination of psychological factors that fall on the period of adherence to a bad habit;
- he alth, immunity, presence of chronic diseases.
It depends on these circumstances how the nicotinewithdrawal, how many days last, how to help a particular smoker; certain stages of quitting cigarettes may increase or decrease.
Problem Solving
Since the fight against smoking is very difficult and is accompanied by numerous deviations in the psyche and in the functioning of the body as a whole, remedies have been created that muffle the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. These are various nicotine patches, pills, chewing gum, etc. There are two types of such products:
- containing nicotine: they gradually reduce the daily dose of nicotine in the life of a smoker, gradually reducing it to nothing;
- nicotine free: mainly anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs.
Usually, doctors prescribe both types of drugs to work in the system: the first reduces physical dependence, the second fights mental defects. It is not recommended to take medicines without consulting a doctor, as they contain strong substances that cause various side effects. Their use may be accompanied by complications due to chronic diseases, high blood pressure or weakened immunity. These factors greatly determine how long the nicotine withdrawal lasts.
Can I cope without the help of medicines?
Some people prefer to fight addiction without the help of drugs. It's real, but very difficult. Although this is less detrimental to physical he alth, the psyche will suffer more damage this way. Therefore, for those who decide to manage on their own, it is especially recommendedvisiting a psychologist throughout the period of nicotine withdrawal.
Folk methods to relieve suffering
Depending on how the nicotine withdrawal proceeds and how long it lasts, ways to alleviate it vary. If there is not enough money for expensive drugs and a psychologist, then you can turn to the help of folk remedies.
First of all, this applies to the daily diet. There are products that contain very small amounts of nicotine, and they can be an alternative to drugs. These foods include potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, cauliflower, etc.
It helps to cope with addiction visiting saunas and baths, walking in the fresh air, drinking fermented milk drinks and plenty of water. It would also be nice to find yourself a permanent hobby that will distract from the desire to smoke.
In addition, doctors recommend doing breathing exercises to kill the urge to smoke. There are many more ways to ease nicotine withdrawal, and how long this syndrome lasts directly depends on your diligence.
Relapse Prevention
In order not to return to a bad habit, you first need to figure out what is the reason why you started smoking. This determines how long the nicotine withdrawal lasts in smokers and what is the likelihood that it will be defeated. If you find it difficult to do it yourself, you should consult a psychologist.
Ifif you started smoking cigarettes as a teenager just to try something new or stand out from your peers, quitting as an adult will make it psychologically easy for you to break the habit. But if the reason for such a whim is more complex and serious, then it will be difficult to cope alone.
Many adults begin to smoke in order to relieve stress from problems hanging over them. These problems can be of varying depth or complexity. But if you manage to break the addiction, and the problem remains, then most likely you will again begin to look for a way to alleviate suffering and come to the same method, if not more serious. Therefore, it is better before you are going to quit, find out together with a psychologist or a loved one whom you trust what is bothering you and try to get rid of this annoying factor. Some resort to the help of support groups, which are created voluntarily by people who want to get rid of the same problem. When you get over the hardships in life, you will have much less incentive to return to cigarettes. How long the nicotine withdrawal (withdrawal syndrome) lasts - no matter, it will be overcome by you if you really want it.
If you smoke for no particular reason and came to this already in adulthood, then most likely you are trying to pass the time in this way. Then you need to come up with an activity for yourself that will captivate you and take up time so that it’s not for cigarettes.stay.
Fighting Prejudice
People who lack the willpower to quit their addiction come up with various excuses that relieve them of responsibility for their failed attempts to stop smoking. Here are the most common excuses:
- quitting smoking will lead to the accumulation of excess weight, because cigarettes interrupt increased appetite;
- the more experience of a bad habit, the less sense it makes to try to quit;
- it's not worth the pain;
- the desire to smoke will still return after a while;
- it's impossible to get rid of addiction without throwing away a huge amount of money.
In fact, all this can be easily refuted by scientific facts or good examples from life. Smoking puts a huge strain on the heart, and getting rid of it will only bring benefits.
If you consistently give up the habit, fulfill all the conditions and follow the instructions, then you will not need to repeat the same course of drugs several times, which costs money, therefore, it is not at all necessary to spend so much if you can just plan the treatment correctly, which will greatly reduce how long the nicotine withdrawal lasts.
Excess weight can only be gained by eating too much, but if you eat in moderation and make up for those gaps that are suppressed by smoking, then you will only enter your weight norm, and no more.
But most importantly, whatever the cost of anti-smoking products,you will spend a lot more money if you continue to smoke, because tobacco manufacturers earn a lot of money selling their products.
What are people saying?
Some smokers have noticed that nicotine cravings become stronger the more opportunities there are to smoke a cigarette at the moment. For example, when a person flies for several hours in an airplane or is forced to spend a lot of time at an important meeting, he thinks about it less. When he sits at work, where at any moment there is an opportunity to go out and smoke, or just walking down the street, or at home, the thought of smoking becomes obsessive.
The mental component in the fight against addiction is very important. How long does nicotine withdrawal last and how to ease it? Feedback from those who managed to quit cigarettes and not return to them speaks of the importance of motivation and willpower, as well as the right attitude and support from loved ones.
