Be Smoke Free

Withdrawal is how your body copes with losing it’s favorite drug, nicotine. Pretty much everyone who quits smoking can expect some sort of withdrawal as they quit.

Everyone is different. Quitters may experience physical and/or mental symptoms. All are natural as our body fights to expel the drugs from our system. Stay strong as withdrawals symptoms don’t last forever. They usually become less noticeable after the first 4-5 days.

Physical Symptoms.

During the process of quitting, people should treat the physical symptoms as they would any other illness and treat them accordingly:

* Tingling in the hands and feet
* Sweating
* Intestinal disorders (cramps, nausea)
* Headache
* Cold symptoms as the lungs begin to clear (sore throats, coughing, and other signs of colds and respiratory problem)

Anxiety, headaches, and cravings are common with most people quitting and will subside over time. The worst of these will be in the first 3 or 4 days but you probably wont feel completely safe for a month or so. I quit in 2004 and haven’t had a craving in years even though I am in a high stress job and can even go shopping and smell smoke from someone smoking and all it does is disgust me now!

Mental Symptoms.

Cravings build up during periods of withdrawal, sometimes to a nearly intolerable point. Nearly every moderate to heavy smoker experiences more than one of the following strong emotional and mental responses to withdrawal.

*Insomnia
*Irritability
*Anxiety
*Depression is common in the short term. It may mimic the feelings of grief felt when a loved one is lost. As foolish as it sounds, a smoker should plan on a period of actual mourning in order to get through the early withdrawal depression.