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!
