In front of every person who has decided to quit smoking, the question always arises as to how to do it right: suddenly or gradually. In fact, not even doctors have a definite opinion on this issue.
Some doctors believe that nicotine hunger, which occurs in a smoker’s body as a result of a sharp cessation of smoking, is very dangerous to the body and can cause serious illness.
Others, on the contrary, believe that this is the way to quit smoking - we have to say goodbye to this addiction once and for all, and all methods of quitting gradually simply do not make sense.
To avoid lengthy debates and arguments, everyone needs to think carefully and determine which method is appropriate. In any case, it should be understood that smoking cessation is only possible if the smoker himself is confident that he has to quit this bad habit and understands why he needs it.
However, in order to make the right choice between immediate and gradual cessation of nicotine, every smoker needs to know what happens to their body if they quit smoking suddenly.
What happens if you suddenly stop smoking: 8 negative consequences
Because a heavy smoker constantly receives a certain dose of nicotine, it develops an incredibly strong physical and psychological dependence. Of course, if the body completely unexpectedly deprives it of some kind of "feeding, " abstinence syndrome or "withdrawal" can begin.
Smoking is similar to drug addiction, so it can be difficult for some people to quit smoking.
After a sudden cessation of smoking, the addict may experience a number of negative feelings, but these are all temporary. This is exactly the reaction of the body, not its constant state in the future. The additional health benefits of rejection are far more significant than the temporary discomfort and feelings.
- A person who stops smoking after prolonged use of tobacco products will be susceptible to colds due to a weakened immune system. In addition, due to the weakening of the body's defenses, a former smoker can aggravate any chronic disease.
- Severe dizziness and headache associated with a drop in blood pressure caused by sudden cessation.
- Violation of the gastrointestinal tract in the form of diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, nausea or vomiting.
- Cough with sputum production. Coughing attacks occur especially often in the early morning, immediately after waking up, as large amounts of mucus accumulate in the body of a former smoker during sleep.
- Shortness of breath like suffocation.
- Unexpected sharp weight gain of several kilograms. This unpleasant consequence is what, in most cases, prevents people, especially women, from quitting suddenly.
- Increased anxiety, irritability.
- Lethargy, apathy and bad mood. Some particularly susceptible people experience severe depression as a result of immediate cessation of smoking, which can only be treated with prolonged work with a qualified psychologist.
Is it sudden to quit smoking?
Of course, no one wants to experience the condition that occurs in the body as a result of an unexpected cessation of smoking.
Most women and men who have taken such a serious step say they felt awful and constantly wanted to stop everything and smoke a cigarette again.
Expecting various negative consequences very often makes people argue about whether it is really harmful and dangerous to quit smoking suddenly.
Of course, this cannot be said to be clearly helpful because a strong smoker’s body experiences severe stress in such a situation and may react differently to such changes.
It should be understood, however, that while creating such a stressful situation is dangerous, long-term exposure to nicotine and tar through the use of tobacco products can cause much more damage to the body. In addition, all of the above negative effects are only short-term.
It takes quite a while, usually about 2-3 weeks, for the body to get used to the changes in it, and these unpleasant symptoms disappear forever and never bother the former smoker again.
Contrary to popular belief, this also applies to unexpected weight gain. Usually, after a sharp cessation of smoking, the metabolism is disrupted, leading to the appearance of extra pounds. There is no need to be afraid of this, because if you play sports and eat right, they will disappear as suddenly as they appeared.
Sharply or incrementally: which rejection method is right for you?
Every person’s body is individual, and the way to stop taking nicotine unexpectedly isn’t for everyone. However, based on the results of several clinical trials, quitting in smokers with less than 10 years of nicotine dependence is fairly simple and painless in most cases.
If smoking has become a habit and a man’s or woman’s body receives a dose of nicotine every day for 10 years or more before suddenly giving up a cigarette, you need to think very carefully and see a doctor.
In such a situation, the final decision will be made taking into account the following factors:
- the individual, physical and psychological characteristics of the smoker's body;
- general health, presence of chronic diseases;
- state of the nervous system;
- the quality of human nutrition;
- the living conditions of the smoker;
- duration of nicotine use;
- the degree of nicotine dependence is determined by a professional psychologist.
Based on a combination of all of these factors, the doctor, along with the patient, should determine what happens if you suddenly and unexpectedly stop using nicotine and give up your cigarette forever. As this can be very dangerous in some cases, a qualified doctor may recommend that you stop smoking gradually.
In this case, the smoker should smoothly reduce the number of cigarettes. They usually start by reducing it to 10 cigarettes a day, then to 5, then to 3, and finally the last step is 2 cigarettes a day. Once the body is accustomed to consuming only two cigarettes a day, and that’s plenty for him, he should finally stop smoking.
Under these conditions, the smoker's body gradually gets rid of the alkaloid and begins to produce acetylcholine on its own, which helps to get rid of the addiction smoothly and almost painlessly. However, the negative consequences and unpleasant symptoms appear very mildly or not at all noticeable.
No matter exactly how you decide to quit smoking - suddenly or gradually - be sure of your abilities and make sure you act all the way.
The harmful effects of smoking on the human body are obvious, so the moment of quitting should not be delayed because after a while it will be much harder to give up this bad habit.