Nicotine Withdrawal - You Can Always Manage It
Why Not Fight and Throw the Evil of Nicotine out of Your Life?
Oct 21, 2009
Those who know the pleasure of the first puff of a fresh cigarette first thing in the morning will invariably vouch that any thought of kicking the habit is plain rubbish. As a matter of fact, a vast majority of chronic smokers feel the same way without caring much for the fact that this minor vice has been draining their finances to a sizable extent.
No one will blame you if you also happen to be a chronic smoker and tend to think along similar lines. However, on another fine morning you may wake up to the fact that your love for nicotine has actually messed up your health rather badly.
In such a scenario, there is absolutely no other alternative for you except to try and quit smoking. Even your doctor will advise you to do that. Nevertheless, before you decide to kick the habit, you should ask the doctor about the immediate consequences that you may have to face - particularly in the form of nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
What Is Nicotine Withdrawal?
Nicotine withdrawal almost invariably sets in when you force yourself to quit smoking. This is the beginning of a most uncomfortable experience for you, to say the least.
Nonetheless, this state is no different than the ones experienced by people who try to rid themselves of any kind of dependence. Whether you drastically cut down your smoking or stop it altogether, you have to suffer the pain and manage the withdrawal problems in one way or the other.
Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms
The symptoms related to nicotine withdrawal are not much different from the ones you find in other kinds of withdrawal problems. Please visit my article published elsewhere in these pages to learn about the most common withdrawal symptoms, one or more of which your body is most likely to suffer during the nicotine withdrawal period.
One symptom that is entirely typical to nicotine withdrawal is a persistent craving for a puff or two of cigarette/tobacco. You are bound to develop this craving once you have kicked the habit. Some other nicotine withdrawal symptoms (apart from the ones listed in the article linked above) could include increased appetite, a dry mouth, and some kind of tightness in the chest.
Should You Or Should You Not?
There will be moments during the nicotine withdrawal phase when you will be awfully tempted to resume smoking. In fact, the number of people who fail to manage the withdrawal syndromes effectively and revert back to the habit is perhaps a great deal more than those who actually succeed in quitting it. As per a Reuters.Com observation, only about 5 percent of smokers do manage to kick the habit without any apparent help. On the other hand a 2007 article in Alternate.Org referred to a Centers for Disease Control Study, which found that even as 70 percent of the current 45 million adult smokers in the United States - out of an estimated 1.2 million worldwide - wanted to quit smoking, only less than half of them were likely to succeed.
The questions such as “should I or should I not,” and “can I do it?” may play on your mind time and again when you are trying to manage the nicotine withdrawal problems. This degree of confusion notwithstanding, you must never compromise in your determination to quit smoking.
One thing that you ought to know is that the worst of nicotine withdrawal lasts for a very brief period. As such, anyone with a bit of will power can manage it without much hassle. All the same, in order to overcome your moments of helplessness, if any, you may try and follow these rules:
- Tell yourself that you can definitely do it.
- Keep on telling other people that you can easily manage it.
- Drink plenty of water to fight the urge for smoking more effectively.
- Take your mind off smoking by engaging yourself in some household chores - or go and take a small walk.
- Should you develop a severe craving for a cigarette, take long and deep breaths. Inhale through your nostrils and exhale via the mouth - imagining all the time that this tiny exercise is just another of your cigarette puffing cycle!
You should, however, remember not to rush through the actions to get rid of the nicotine withdrawal problems as quickly as possible. It may be worthwhile if you can talk to your doctor again. If he recommends some kind of nicotine replacement therapy, better trust him and go for it.
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