There is a widespread myth among smokers that quitting smoking suddenly has harmful and serious consequences for the body. Many prefer to prolong this process by gradually reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day. In fact, not everything is so scary, and doctors have a clear answer to the question of whether it is possible to quit smoking suddenly. Let's figure it out.
Nicotine as a drug
Nicotine belongs to the category of "fast" drugs - addiction occurs in just a few months of use, but is also quickly eliminated. It can take an average of three to seven days to overcome a bad habit on a physiological level.
Tobacco smoke contains about 4, 000 chemical compounds, 250 of which are toxic. The body accustomed to nicotine needs new doses every hour and a half, after two hours of abstinence, blood pressure may rise and the person will be nervous. However, if you beat yourself and don’t smoke for at least three days, things will go a lot easier.
Practice shows that eliminating cigarettes is a dead end. Most often, the smoker still breaks down and returns to the previous dose of nicotine. But abruptly stopping nicotine can really work.
What happens in the body
If you quit your daily dose of nicotine, the following changes will occur in the human body:
- Increased blood flow. Blood begins to flow more actively to the brain and heart. After a while, blood pressure stabilizes and recovery of blood vessels damaged during addiction begins.
- Normalization of intestinal function. The gastrointestinal microflora strongly influences the carcinogens that are smoked by the smoker. With a sharp rejection of nicotine, the intestines are stabilized and vitamins and nutrients are better absorbed.
- Restoration of immunity. In those with nicotine addiction, the immune system is weakened and unable to fully perform its functions. You have probably noticed that smokers get sick much more often than addicts.
- Oxygen supply to the body. Due to better ventilation of the lungs, more oxygen begins to enter the body. Fatigue disappears, the feeling of weakness in the work day decreases, and sleep improves.
Side effects
Recall that nicotine is a drug and smoking is an addiction. Like any other drug addiction, it doesn’t go away without a trace, and in the first few days, one won’t feel very well. If you suddenly quit smoking, you may experience the following side effects:
- Anxiety and irritability. The first effect a person who quits smoking will feel. It may occur after two to three hours of abstinence.
- Mild dizziness. It causes oxygen starvation - the tone of the vascular system normalizes and it takes time. It takes place on a daily average.
- Development of dyspnea. Oxygen starvation is another consequence, but here the reason is lung recovery. It disappears completely after up to a month, usually after a week or two.
- Decreased appetite. It occurs least in the first days of abstinence. Appetite returns within a week. Moreover, one begins to feel the fullness of the taste of food that he did not even know about before.
- Cough. Toxic substances accumulated in the smoker's lungs are removed from the body, so a cough appears. Coughing is often accompanied by mucus and mucus. It decreases after a month and disappears completely after six months.
- Insomnia. Emotional depression caused by nicotine deficiency makes it difficult for a person to fall asleep. In some cases, insomnia may occur. It goes away on its own in three to four days, but medications can be used to reduce anxiety and get better sleep.
As you can see, there are no serious side effects that can cause serious damage to the body. Of course, a sharp cessation of smoking requires a lot of willpower, especially in the first few days, but nothing threatens your health. On the contrary, after a week of abstinence, one begins to feel much better than the entire period of nicotine use.
Psychological factor
For many smokers, it is much easier to overcome physiological side effects than to treat psychological addiction. Smoking is a whole ritual, everyone has their own. Someone smokes a cigarette before breakfast, someone can’t imagine how to wait for public transportation and not smoke, and cigarette coffee is usually sacred. It can be extremely difficult to give up such tiny habits and completely rebuild your life.
If the willpower is not enough to quit smoking suddenly, you can contact your family and friends. Allow them to divert their attention from bad thoughts and provide maximum support. Another option is to ask a psychologist for help, there is nothing shameful about that.
Smoking and Women
There is a separate myth in this category about women - how harmful is quitting quitting for them? For example, it is believed that pregnant women should not give up nicotine suddenly. It is said to cause stress which negatively affects the baby. In fact, doctors strongly recommend that in such a situation, this addiction should be abandoned immediately. Every cigarette smoked will affect the development of the fetus.
The situation is the same with the myth that smoking cannot be quit during menstruation. In fact, it can be. On a physiological level, nothing negative happens to the body, difficulties can only arise on a psychological level. Another misconception is that abrupt smoking cessation affects the effects of medications taken. However, there are no scientifically proven cases where drugs alter their pharmacological properties due to a sudden cessation of nicotine intake.
Buffok
The positive changes in the body have been described above, now we describe the effects that are more noticeable in a former smoker:
- Skin looks fresher. The yellowish tint of the epidermis disappears as more minerals, vitamins, and oxygen begin to enter the bloodstream. After about six months, healthy skin color returns after you quit smoking.
- Increases taste and odor sensitivity. The smoker’s sense of smell and taste buds don’t work at full capacity, the longer one smokes, the more boring they become. If you give up the addiction, you can feel the fullness of taste and smell.
- Sound enhancement. Strength, increased activity, lack of fatigue. All this is felt by a former smoker. You can forget about illnesses and feelings of apathy.
In summary, you can quit smoking all of a sudden! And even necessary. There will be no serious negative consequences for the body.