Discovering the Harsh Withdrawal Symptoms in Your Quest to Stop Smoking

You have set out in a goal to stop smoking, this of course is a great idea, however are you really prepared for the potential consequences. Of course, your health will enjoy a great benefit from the decreased smoking, but your body is going to have a period of adjustment as it works to handle all of the harsh effects that smoking has caused. Being fully aware of these potential negative side effects will ensure that you are properly prepared to attempt quitting the right way. Just saying that you want to quit is simply not enough, you need to actually make an effort and be prepared.

One of the most common side effects to quitting that you may experience is small spells of dizziness. These are typically only present in the first few days as your body works to regulate hormone production. If you just pause for a brief moment anytime the dizziness occurs it will generally pass quickly. If you try to press forth with activities during these spells you could become injured so taking your time is critical.

Headaches are another common withdrawal symptom. This is something that occurs very commonly. Your best line of defense is any typical headache remedy that you prefer. Many will opt with a mild pain reliever while others will focus on relaxing techniques. Regardless of the method, try not to suffer too badly with a headache or it could encourage you to smoke to relieve the stress the headache is causing you.

Tightness in your chest and even coughing is another common withdrawal symptom. As your body is adjusting to the lack of nicotine, it will start to also clear out the excess chemicals that are built up. This can cause several different reactions. Many people often mistake the chest tightening with having a heart attack. If you are certain that it is a heart attack rather than just standard chest tightening, make sure to get immediate medical attention.

One of the last major withdrawal symptoms is tiredness. While of course this is a problem that plagues almost anyone who can breathe it becomes an even bigger issue when trying to quit smoking. Often smokers use cigarettes as a way to give them a boost of energy, this can be helpful while you are smoking but the lack of energy as you are trying to quit can make you stressed, as well as weaken your resolve to actually quit. Try to ensure that you are getting plenty of sleep to combat this symptom as much as possible. Most people are able to return to their normal routine, minus the smoking after just a few short weeks.

Your body may experience additional withdrawal symptoms. How you handle them is typically left up to you as long as they remain mild, however at any sign of serious health problems you need to seek the advice and supervision of a doctor to ensure that there are not additional health problems that are being mislabeled as a withdrawal symptom. Talking to your doctor and letting them know that you plan to quit is typically a good idea so that they can also closely monitor your physical health during the difficult struggle. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth any time it may take to protect your health.

Breaking the Habit of Smoking

Working to quit smoking is one of the hardest things that many people ever do in their life. The reasons that it is so difficult typically vary. The one reason that is most often cited is the habit of smoking itself is extremely hard to break. The task then becomes trying to break the habit, and instead give yourself a much healthier habit to hang onto. After all, it took you a while to get into the habit of smoking so reason stands that it will take a while to break the habit.

If you are determined to quit smoking, you have made an impressive start. However, if you have decided to quit on your own, you are doing even better. Sounds strange does it? You would be surprised at just how many people “decide” to quit smoking by being informed by their doctor, spouse, parent, sibling or friend that they will be quitting. In order to successfully quit smoking for good you need to decide for yourself to quit. If you have actually made this decision on your own, you are doing an amazing job. If you are letting someone push you into quitting you are just setting yourself up for headaches, hassles and complications that are easily avoided.

As a smoker, you have no doubt developed a pattern to your smoking. For example, if you are a typical one pack a day smoker one of your habits is to smoke a pack a day. You need to take small steps to break these habits. Perhaps you will find best luck in simply changing your habits slowly. For example, if you typically smoke a cigarette after each meal, you might find it helpful to brush your teeth. This can have the effect of providing a fresh mouth that you do not want to dirty with cigarette taste. You might find that after each meal you need to try chewing a piece of gum, sucking on hard candy or even attempting nicotine gum.

If there are any specific circumstances that always trigger a cigarette craving, you should work to avoid the situation. If it is something that you absolutely cannot avoid, such as dinner times, you need to create an alternative habit that you replace smoking with. For example, if you always smoke as soon as you get to your car after work, you might want to consider carpooling with someone who does not smoke, taking a different route home, stopping for groceries, jamming to some music or even taking a bus. Anything you can do to shake up your normal smoking routine is good.

There will of course be times that it is quite difficult to break the habits. If you find yourself in a position where you cannot avoid a typical smoking situation, you need to create a way to deal with it. Some people use nicotine gum whenever they are faced with a smoking situation. Others find that the stop smoking sticks are beneficial. These sticks can allow you to hold a pretend cigarette that just provides your hands with something to do. If you find these quite useful then you know that your problem is your hands are idle, finding something for your hands to do might help a lot.

Trying to quit is a very difficult process. Many people take weeks if not months to quit smoking completely. If you are struggling far too much with the idea of completely quitting at once you may find it is much better for your own situation to slowly cut back on your cigarette consumption. Regardless of the precise method that you choose, it can take a minimum of 2 weeks to start adapting new habits. This means that any new behavior you adopt in your quest to stop smoking must be repeated continuously for at least two weeks before you will start to see a real difference in your lifestyle. Giving yourself plenty of time to work on your new habits is essential and will set you on the road to success.

• Better all-round health - stopping smoking reduces risk of 50 illnesses and conditions which kill people every year.
• 400,000 people a year die in the United States from smoking. It's a guaranteed death sentence!
• The risk of a heart attack drops by 50% one year after quitting.
• Cancer risk drops with every year of not smoking.
• Live longer and stay well - one in two long-term smokers die early and lose about 16 years of life.
• Set a good example to children - I don't want to be a smoking role model.
• Have lots of money to spend on other things - smoking 20 a day costs around $1,800 per year. Spend it on nicotine gum or patches.
• Improved fitness and easier breathing – be better at sports and getting up stairs
• Arguments with parents and friends that want you to stop smoking
• Better chance of having a healthy baby
• Better skin and complexion, and no early wrinkles
• Fresher smelling breath, hair and clothes, and no more cigarette smells around the house
• Back in full control and no longer craving or distracted when I am not smoking or not able to smoke
• Travel on trains, aircraft, buses will be easier
• Withdraw support from tobacco companies
• Amazing self-confidence that results from kicking an annoying habit
• The chemicals for toilet bowl cleaner, rat poison, nuclear waste, car exhaust, fingernail polish remover are contained in cigarettes.
• Over 50 chemicals in cigarettes have been proven by science to cause cancer.
• WebMD says that cigarettes can cause the onset of conditions such as Alzheimers, lupus, SIDS, colic, blindness, impotence, rheumatoid arthritis, acid reflux, and breast, brain, and colon cancer.
• Peace of mind after you get off it