Quit Smoking Advice

What to Expect When You Quit Smoking

What to Expect When You Quit Smoking

If you are trying to reflect on your smoking habit and maybe even quit, now isn’t the time for smoke and mirrors.

Sure, there are going to be a lot of benefits to no longer smoking. And you aren’t the only one who is going to reap those benefits, either.

Your friends, family, and even pets will be healthier for it. Second hand smoke can be really harmful.

But you are going to have to struggle through the side effects of craving and withdrawal. You may not always win.

One good way to combat all of the hurdles you’ll face when quitting smoking is to get at least a basic idea of when those hurdles will entail.

A program like Quit Smoking Magic may be of help to you, but below are a handful of different thing you should expect to experience while quitting smoking.

Cravings

If you’ve ever said something like you’re itching for a cigarette, you’ve experienced a  craving.

While they do have some extreme forms, cravings can also be much more minor. They can be just a tickle in the back of your mind, a subtle reminder.

They can also be overbearing and controlling. If your nicotine addiction is bad enough, you may even feel pulled away from special occasions by the need to feed your craving.

Craving will become much less of an issue with time. Unfortunately, cravings are one of those things that are going to get worse—sometimes a lot worse—before things get better.

Cravings are a symptom of withdrawal. Withdrawal, however, is a bigger monster. Cravings are only one sharp talon of the beast.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal can be hard and it can be painful. It may even be one of the most difficult and painful things you have ever experienced.

Nicotine craving will happen early on. As mentioned above, cravings are going to become stronger and stronger but eventually they will fade away.

Here is some of what you should expect over the first few days of not smoking:

After a whole day without smoking, you might just want to go to sleep. Unfortunately, one of the early symptoms of withdrawal is restlessness and trouble sleeping. You may opt to take something to help you sleep. Just be careful that it does not become a new habit or addiction.

While trouble sleeping the night before might factor into your mood the next day, it is important to know that irritability is another symptom of withdrawal. Be mindful of this during your interactions with others.

As the nicotine makes its way out of your system, you may experience pounding headaches. Just remember what you have already overcome. Don’t be tempted by the pain to sneak even a few puffs off a cigarette.

Several days in you are probably feeling really anxious and stressed out. You might feel like your temper has a second long fuse and even the smallest spark, the smallest inconvenience could set you off. Take a moment, a few deep breaths, and relax as best you can.

It is at this point that you should let any of your friends and family who smoke know that you are trying to give it up. It can help you avoid being in a situation where they are offering you a cigarette. Try to avoid tempting situations.

Keep it up. Eventually the symptoms of withdrawal will, largely, pass.

Conclusion

It is important to keep in mind that the addiction will always be there. Cigarettes have been like a sort of safety blanket for you in stressful situations. At some level, the temptation to smoke again will always be there.

There are cases where people have started smoking again years after quitting because a stressful situation flipped a switch in their brain. Those craving, once a thing of the past, can come back at a moment’s notice.

If you find yourself in this kind of situation, that’s okay. Consider how much better things were after quitting the first time. You did it once and you most certainly can quit again.

Whether it is your first attempt at quitting or your twentieth, there are resources and support systems that you can lean on for support.

It was mentioned above that you should alert your friends and family to the fact that you are trying to quit. They are a part of your support network.

You may also want to look into a program geared toward helping smokers quit. One such program you can look into is Quit Smoking Magic.

Best of luck!

What Happens When You Quit Smoking

What Happens When You Quit Smoking

There are a number of things that you should expect when you try to quit smoking. Some of those things are better than others.

Kicking a bad habit comes with a wild mixture of good and back side effects.

If you are looking for a little extra help, you may want to consider the Quit Smoking Magic program.

The Benefits of Quitting Smoking

You may be surprised by how soon the benefits of not smoking will be seen and felt.

It is important to note that these are the effects when you decide to quit cold turkey. These benefits are not to the same timeline if you have decided to wean yourself off of the habit.

Within Hours

Even over the course of just hours, you will experience a number of different benefits to your health and well-being. Some of those benefits are:

  • Better blood pressure
  • Circulation will improve in your hands and feet (meaning a return to normal body temperature)
  • Your blood oxygen level increase and carbon monoxide level drop
  • The amount of nicotine in your body will drop drastically

Within Days

If you continue to stick with quitting after the initial cravings, here are some of the benefits you may observe over the next few days:

  • Any damaged nerve endings will begin to repair or regrow
  • Your taste buds and sense of smell will strengthen
  • Within a few days, the nicotine will be completely out of your system
  • Breathing becomes a little easier

Within Weeks

If you’ve made it to this point, congratulations! If you have stumbled, that’s okay. Keep trying.

Below are some of the benefits of not smoking for a few weeks:

  • Cravings become less frequent and less intense
  • You will find that nicotine is no longer in charge of you or your health
  • Circulation in your mouth—teeth and gums—should return to normal
  • Negative side effects (anxiety, anger, etc.) no longer affect you
  • Risks to your heart have dropped drastically
  • Overall lung function is much better
  • Your skin is much healthier than if you were still smoking

Within Months

You might still face the occasional battle with cravings, but you are doing well if you’ve made it months without smoking. You should be reaping some of these rewards for your fight:

  • Circulation improves overall
  • If you were afflicted with a chronic cough, that should have subsided within a few months
  • Going for a walk is easier and more enjoyable
  • Trouble breathing and sinus issues should clear up
  • You feel more energized
  • Stroke and issues of the heart should now be about half of what they were when you smoked

For Years to Come

You’ve made it years since your last smoke? Fantastic!

Here are some of the long-term benefits of no longer smoking:

  • Women have a lower risk of developing diabetes
  • A stroke becomes less likely
  • There is now a lower risk of developing lung, mouth, throat, esophagus, or pancreas cancer (although still higher than someone who never smoked)
  • A decreased chance of tooth-loss
  • Coronary heart disease becomes less and less of a threat the longer you don’t smoke

The Negative Side Effects of Quitting Smoking

Withdrawal

Withdrawal isn’t fun. It’s kind of hard to argue with that, right?

There are so many things that your body does when it’s craving nicotine. Some of those negative effects are:

  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia
  • Anger
  • Restlessness
  • Depression
  • Impatience
  • Lack of concentration
  • Bad cravings

You may find that a support system or program could help you overcomes these side effects. You may want to consider the Quit Smoking Magic for smoking cessation.

Potentially New Bad Habits

Unfortunately, sometimes when you are quitting on bad habit, you can’t help but fall into another.

For example, maybe you begin eating a lot of chocolate or increasing your intake of sugary drinks. But if it helps you quit smoking, it can’t be all bad, right?

Wrong.

Replacing one bad habit with another might lead to different problems (such as weight gain) but they are still problems.

Try instead to replace the bad habit of smoking with a good habit, like a nightly walk after dinner. Do something good in that space of time that you would previously have smoked a cigarette.

Conclusion

Quitting smoking isn’t an easy thing to do at all. There are going to be a number of pitfalls and hurdles that you will have to overcomes.

Stay strong.

Why go through the withdrawal? Because there are countless advantages to quitting.

They might just seem like any old list. If that’s the case, make them more personal. Consider what each of the advantages mean to you in your life filled with your loved ones.

Marijuana: How and Why to Quit

Marijuana How and Why to Quit

While recreational marijuana is becoming more and more accepted (by the general population and by the laws), it isn’t without its negative side effects.

It is addictive and it can be damaging to your health and life overall.

Like any addiction, you may eventually decide that you want to overcome it. That may be why you are here now.

There are a number of approaches you can take to achieving your goal of quitting smoking weed.

Reasons to Quit Smoking Weed

There are numerous reasons that you should consider quitting weed. A small collection of them are:

  • Legal issues in states where marijuana is illegal
  • The munchies aren’t an issue
  • A clear mind and lungs, better focus
  • You won’t need to sneak around for your fix
  • More money for other aspects of your life
  • A better sense of smell
  • You will look more put together, healthier
  • No having to worry about not having the drug when you are itching for it
  • Better concentration
  • More flexibility in your life when you don’t feel chained to a drug habit
  • Less compromised vocal chords
  • The natural highs experienced by going through life uninhibited by drugs

These are just a few of the more general reasons for you to kick the habit. If none of these are particularly persuasive, consider creating your own list of pros and cons.

How to Quit Smoking Weed

There are a variety of approaches out there in the world looking to help you quit smoking weed. A pros and cons lists might also help you decide which approach to quitting will work best for you.

Quitting Cold Turkey

This method takes a lot of self-control.

It is important to remove as many temptations as possible. This includes bongs, igniters (matches, lighters, etc.), any remaining weed, any containers where you may have kept weed, and any other supplies and trigger-objects that you have around your home.

Sometimes, it isn’t enough to just throw away these things. If you feel you need to, destroy these temptations before you throw them away.

It is also important for you to distance yourself from your source. This includes:

  • Bad-influence associates and friends
  • Your drug dealer
  • Groups and locations where smoking weed is commonplace

If you don’t make the break as clean as possible, you will battle your body up an even steeper hill than if you did remove temptations and negative influences.

Weaning Yourself Off the Drug

This approach is very similar to the previous one. However, instead of quitting all at once, cutting any ties to your marijuana habit, you can ease yourself off the drug.

Goal setting is going to be your friend big time.

Of course the long term goal is to completely quit smoking weed. However, short term goals will help you get there.

These short term goals can be as big or small as you want, as long as they are getting there somehow.

Set a date you want to be weed-free. Now figure out your halfway point in time and progress. Work out from there to create your other checkpoints.

Professional Help

This option is all about finding the right medical doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist that will work best for you and your specific hurdles.

Quit Smoking Magic

Quit Smoking Magic is a program that has been found to be 98% successful among users. It can also work in as little as a week, 7 days.

Unlike some of the other methods mentioned above, Quit Smoking Magic is a relatively inexpensive approach. Certainly it is more affordable than a continued habit, right?

Conclusion

Whichever method of quitting your decide to try, it is important to find yourself a support group.

Withdrawal is going to suck. There is going to be:

  • Anxiety
  • A decreased appetite
  • Fevers
  • Sleeplessness
  • Irritability
  • And more

You are going to want to give up on quitting. This is why it is so important to remove temptations and people who are a bad influence on you.

As well as a good support group, you may find it beneficial to find a new hobby to take the place of smoking. This can be any number of things from walking to drawing to reconnecting with an old friend.

The biggest thing is to develop a new routine without weed taking up a portion of your time and health. Doing this will help you stick with quitting.