Every person who has decided to quit smoking always has the question of how to do it right: abruptly or gradually. In fact, even doctors do not have a definite opinion on this issue.
Some doctors believe that nicotine cravings, which appear in the body of a smoker as a result of abrupt cessation of smoking, are very dangerous for the body and can provoke the development of serious diseases.
Others, on the other hand, believe that it is necessary to quit smoking in this way - saying goodbye to this addiction once and for all, and all methods of phasing out smoking simply do not make sense.
In order to avoid long arguments and reflections, everyone should think very carefully and determine which method is suitable for him. In any case, it should be understood that smoking cessation is possible only if the smoker himself is sure of the need to give up this bad habit and understands why he needs it.
In turn, to make the right choice between instant and gradual cessation of nicotine, every smoker must know what will happen to his body if he stops smoking abruptly.
What happens if you quit smoking abruptly: 8 negative consequences
Because a heavy smoker constantly receives a certain dose of nicotine, he develops an incredibly strong physical and psychological dependence. Of course, if the body completely unexpectedly deprives it of a kind of "nutrition", it can begin a syndrome of abstinence or "withdrawal".
Tobacco smoking is similar to drug addiction, so quitting cigarettes can be difficult for some people.
After suddenly quitting smoking, the addict may encounter a number of negative feelings, but they are all temporary. This is the reaction of the body, not its constant state in the future. The further health benefits of giving up are far more significant than the temporary inconveniences and sensations.
- A person who has given up smoking after long-term use of tobacco products becomes susceptible to colds due to a weakened immune system. In addition, due to the weakening of the body's defenses, an ex-smoker can exacerbate all chronic diseases.
- Dizziness and headache with high intensity, which are associated with a drop in blood pressure caused by abrupt cessation.
- Gastrointestinal disorders, which manifest themselves in the form of diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, nausea or vomiting.
- Cough with sputum. Cough attacks are especially common in the early morning, immediately after waking up, because during sleep a large amount of mucus accumulates in the body of an ex-smoker.
- Feeling short of breath, such as suffocation.
- Unexpected sharp increase in weight by several kilograms. It is this unpleasant consequence that in most cases stops people, especially women, from quitting smoking abruptly.
- Increased anxiety, irritability.
- Lethargy, apathy and bad mood. Some particularly susceptible people develop severe depression as a result of immediate smoking cessation, which can only be overcome by prolonged work with a qualified psychologist.
Is it dangerous to quit smoking abruptly?
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 that they felt just awful and constantly wanted to quit and smoke a cigarette again.
The expectation of various negative consequences often makes people argue whether it is really harmful and dangerous to quit smoking abruptly.
Of course, this cannot be said to be unequivocally useful, as the body of a heavy smoker in such a situation experiences great stress and can react to such changes in different ways.
However, it should be understood 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 harm to the body. In addition, all the above negative effects are only short-term.
It will take a long time, usually about 2-3 weeks, the body will get used to the changes that have taken place in it and all these unpleasant symptoms will disappear forever and will never bother the ex-smoker again.
Contrary to popular belief, this also applies to unexpected weight gain. As a rule, after abrupt cessation of smoking, metabolism is disrupted, leading to the appearance of extra pounds. You should not be afraid of this, because if you exercise and eat properly, they will disappear as suddenly as they appeared.
Suddenly or gradually: which method of withdrawal is right for you?
Each person's body is individual and the method of unexpectedly stopping nicotine use is not suitable for everyone. However, based on the results of numerous clinical studies, for smokers with less than 10 years of nicotine addiction, such withdrawal is in most cases quite easy and painless.
If smoking has already become a habit and a man's or woman's body receives its dose of nicotine every day for 10 years or more, before abruptly quitting smoking, you should think very carefully and consult a doctor.
In such a situation, the final decision is made taking into account the following factors:
- individual characteristics of the smoker's body, both physical and psychological;
- general health, presence of chronic diseases;
- condition of the nervous system;
- the quality of human nutrition;
- smoker's living conditions;
- duration of nicotine use;
- the degree of nicotine dependence determined by a professional psychologist.
Based on the combination of all these factors, the doctor, together with the patient, must determine what will happen if you suddenly and unexpectedly stop using nicotine and quit smoking forever. As this can be really dangerous in some cases, a qualified doctor may recommend that you use gradual smoking cessation.
In this case, the smoker should gradually reduce the number of cigarettes. As a rule, they start by reducing 10 cigarettes a day, then to 5, then to 3 and finally, the last step is 2 cigarettes a day. Once your body is used to consuming only two cigarettes a day and that's enough, you should finally stop smoking.
Under such circumstances, the smoker's body gradually diverts from the alkaloid and begins to produce acetylcholine on its own, which helps to get rid of addiction smoothly and almost painlessly. At the same time, the negative consequences and unpleasant symptoms are very slight or not noticeable at all.
No matter how you decide to quit smoking - abruptly or gradually - be confident in your abilities and do not forget to get to the end.
The harm of smoking on the human body is obvious, so you should not delay the moment of its cessation, because after a while it will be much harder to give up this bad habit.