When an experienced smoker gives up cigarettes, he will certainly experience nicotine withdrawal. This is an uncomfortable state of the body that brings a lot of suffering to a person. The assertion that there is no withdrawal syndrome when you want to quit smoking, and that unpleasant sensations depend on willpower and attitude for the future, is just a myth. Every smoker goes through this stage, but it lasts differently for everyone: from a week to a month.
WHO statistics indicate that cigarettes cause the death of 6 million people every year, a little less than half of them are children. Not the least role in this situation belongs to the difficulty of giving up tobacco, a strong craving for nicotine when trying to quit a bad habit. This is the addiction syndrome. Nicotine withdrawal is similar to alcohol withdrawal. This is stress for the whole body. This is why it is so difficult to quit smoking. But there are ways to alleviate this condition. And you need to know about them, like a life preserver.
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How does withdrawal syndrome manifest when quitting smoking?
The appearance of withdrawal syndrome awaits the smoker within a few hours after stopping nicotine use. It is difficult to say how long this painful condition will last. It depends on the length of addiction, the smoking regime, and the general state of health of the person. For some, withdrawal may last a couple of weeks, while for other people it may last a couple of months. Everything here is very individual.
But the symptoms of quitting smoking are difficult to confuse with something else; they manifest themselves in almost the same way in all smokers who have stopped using nicotine, only with different intensities.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms
- First of all, it is a painful cough that is almost impossible to calm down.
- There may be a feeling that there is not enough air, shortness of breath appears.
- There is a general state of fatigue and weakness.
- The appetite may become much stronger than usual, but nausea may also appear.
- Jumps in blood pressure and tachycardia may be observed.
- Withdrawal greatly affects the mental state: anxiety, depressive mood, and irritation occur.
- Sleep patterns are disrupted and insomnia appears.
- Hand tremors and even convulsions may occur.
- Malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract, constipation occurs.
- And, of course, a smoker during the period of quitting cigarettes is haunted by a strong desire to smoke.
You won’t necessarily experience all these symptoms right away, but some of them will make themselves felt from time to time. It is impossible to predict how strongly the syndrome will be expressed and how long it will last when you quit nicotine. But one thing is for sure - during this period of time it is necessary to show more attention to your health, because against the background of chronic diseases, withdrawal syndrome can lead to their complications.
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Around every corner, anti-smoking propagandists shout about how bad smoking affects your health. More and more people are trying to get rid of this habit and realize that it is not easy.
Nicotine affects important organ systems and is involved in metabolism. It becomes difficult for the body to function without the nicotine component. This makes people come back to cigarettes again and again. This process is known to many as nicotine withdrawal syndrome.
What not to do when quitting smoking?
You have probably already noticed that the symptoms of quitting smoking are not as frightening as those of alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal. However, any smoker would argue with you, because in fact this condition is very difficult for him to experience. Without the habitual use of nicotine, a person suffers physically and psychologically.
And the most unwise thing you can do at this moment is to start using alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, stop controlling your eating behavior, or, simply put, start overeating. All this undoubtedly distracts from withdrawal symptoms, but leads to even greater problems.
Why does withdrawal syndrome occur when stopping nicotine?
A painful period of withdrawal awaits anyone who breaks their addiction to psychoactive substances. This is experienced by an alcoholic who stops drinking, a drug addict who stops using drugs. Only the manifestations and intensity of symptoms will be different for different types of addictions.
Why does nicotine withdrawal syndrome occur? The thing is that nicotine has long been involved in the metabolic processes of your body, becoming part of its biochemical reactions. When this component of the processes disappears, the body needs time to return to normal again, to switch on its normal mode of operation. It is during this transition period that abstinence occurs when quitting smoking. In fact, this is the same withdrawal as with drug addiction.
Pharmaceutical therapy
For quitting smokers, medicine offers both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
There are 3 first-line drugs on the market (others are still in clinical trials):
- Nicotine replacement therapy: nicotine patch (Nicorette, NiQuitin), chewing gum (Nicorette), oral spray (Nicorette) and lozenges (Nicorette, NiQuitin). All forms are freely sold in pharmacies. Lifestyle changes provide a double chance of success;
- Varenicline (Champix) – triples success depending on the degree of habit; this drug is available with a prescription, but can be prescribed by any doctor;
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Elontril) is an antidepressant drug prescribed by a psychiatrist, neurologist or sexologist with the assistance of a health insurance company; If a person pays for the medicine, it can be prescribed by any doctor.
All medications must be taken for at least 3 months, preferably 6 months or longer. They do not stop smoking - these medications are designed to relieve withdrawal symptoms.
A person must give up cigarettes on his own. Therefore, intensive intervention is appropriate. Medicines are ineffective.
Physiological and psychological causes of withdrawal
The physiological cause of withdrawal syndrome when quitting smoking is the process of restructuring the body to a new rhythm of work, without the participation of nicotine.
But why does such strong psychological discomfort arise? Firstly, the smoker has already developed the habit of smoking a cigarette in certain situations, at certain times. In practice, a person has developed a conditioned reflex. There are also certain associations and attitudes in the psyche:
- Smoking calms my nerves.
- When I smoke, I think better.
- It is more comfortable to communicate with a cigarette in your hands.
- Smoking is a sign of cool.
In this case, the statement does not have to be true; it is more like self-hypnosis. The person will believe in his attitude and will suffer without a cigarette. In fact, nicotine is not a sedative. It is a carcinogen, a toxic drug, but not a sedative. However, most smokers still claim that nicotine calms their nerves. What's the secret?
This mechanism was described in great detail in his famous book “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking” by Allen Carr. The whole point is that when smoking a cigarette, the smoker actually becomes calmer and relieves tension. Only he confused cause and effect. The tension was caused by using and then quitting nicotine. In fact, by smoking a cigarette, a person returns himself to his usual normal state, which would not stop if he did not use nicotine.
During periods of stress, the smoker’s body is especially concerned about the supply of nicotine; it already feels bad, and it does not want withdrawal syndrome to be added to this. This is how the self-preservation instinct works. In addition, many people themselves draw pictures in their minds of the future torment of quitting smoking, embellished by their imagination, actually instilling in themselves the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Psychotherapeutic treatment
If a person wants to get rid of the very root of the disease, from internal psychological causes, a psychotherapist or psychologist will help him with this. This process may take several weeks or months, but it is worth it.
With the guidance of a professional, you will understand what exactly pushed you down the path of addiction and you will be able to get rid of bad habits of thinking and attitudes. A specialist will help you get used to life without the use of artificial stimulants, using psychotherapeutic techniques for treatment.
Risk factors
The greatest likelihood of developing withdrawal syndrome is in those smokers who started smoking during adolescence. Unfortunately, nicotine addiction is not uncommon among teenagers. Not realizing all its dangers, they try to look older and cooler due to the cigarette in their hands.
The social atmosphere actually does little to prevent this. Only recently was smoking banned in public places; even later, special closed cabinets appeared in stores where cigarettes are sold. But in general, the attitude towards smoking in the country is quite loyal. Even those children whose parents do not smoke can always see an adult smoking on the street, so they develop the understanding that smoking is normal. Promoting a healthy lifestyle has not yet outweighed these long-established beliefs.
Withdrawal syndrome will have more severe manifestations in those smokers who have chronic pathologies of internal organs. Their body already does not function entirely coherently, and giving up nicotine creates new stress for it. Here again there is a vicious circle characteristic of drug addiction: chronic diseases themselves often arise due to constant intoxication. You shouldn’t think that a small cigarette can’t do as much harm as alcohol or drugs. Nicotine constantly poisons all tissues of the body no less than other psychoactive drugs. In addition, the very form of taking the drug in the form of inhaling hot smoke causes additional harm to the respiratory tract and lungs.
What is the withdrawal reaction from marijuana and hashish?
» data-medium-file=»https://i2.wp.com/evilsmoke.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/sindrom-otmenyi-i-kurenie-marihuana-gashish.png?fit=550% 2C350&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/evilsmoke.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/sindrom-otmenyi-i-kurenie-marihuana-gashish.png?fit =550%2C350&ssl=1″ >Withdrawal syndrome when smoking marijuana, hashish
Marijuana and hashish are classified as narcotic substances. It is considered to be an easy and accessible psychoactive drug . In many countries it is absolutely legal. Constant use of marijuana or hashish causes drug addiction .
The main signs of addiction can be considered the following:
- The need to increase the dose to get a high;
- Long-term refusal leads to depression and irritability.
- Passivity to the surrounding world.
The main consequence of addiction to marijuana or hashish is the transition to hard drugs.
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To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to start treatment in a timely manner, which consists of the following:
- Change of environment . A person needs to distance themselves from people with whom they got high on weed. If this does not happen, then there is a possibility of returning to the previous lifestyle.
- Contacting a narcologist . The doctor will help you choose medication and a vitamin complex, which will allow you to restore your body after taking psychotropic drugs.
- A visit to a psychologist will help you understand the true causes of drug addiction, as well as form the right priorities and life attitudes.
Manifestations of nicotine addiction
When smoking, the body releases a large amount of adrenaline into the blood, and also activates the production of endorphins, joy hormones. This is what seems attractive in the early stages of nicotine addiction. Such unnatural cheerfulness and high spirits lead to the next intake of nicotine - this is how a person becomes captive of use. Later, joy and cheerfulness will gradually disappear, leaving only a painful desire to get rid of withdrawal symptoms.
Nicotine excites nerve endings, leading to disorientation. When you quit smoking, the nervous system begins to react inadequately to external stimuli. This will be especially noticeable in an experienced smoker. The deeper the addiction, the stronger the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. This is what determines the stage of addiction: how easily and quickly the body is able to return to natural functions and perform them again without the help of nicotine stimulation.
Duration of withdrawal
The duration of adaptation to life without cigarettes depends, first of all, on the stage of addiction:
- Household level – smoking up to 5 cigarettes a day with a lack of regularity. It is reversible and does not require titanic effort or time.
- Habit – consumption of up to 15 cigarettes daily with the development of physiological dependence and mild withdrawal symptoms. Reversible with some effort and support from loved ones.
- Addiction – the need for up to 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day. Irresistible craving for nicotine, tolerance. The need for round-the-clock smoking (after meals, at night, on an empty stomach) with high degree of damage to internal organs.
Abstinence develops already in the first hours after the usual dose of nicotine has not entered the body, but it can delay for two or three days.
The type of reaction is strictly individual and is determined by a number of points:
- The number of cigarettes smoked daily and the smoking experience.
- Type (strength) of tobacco.
- Gender and age. Women, due to their hormone-dependent physiological structure, part with cigarettes much harder and more problematic.
- Psychotype of personality. Optimists have an undeniable advantage.
- General health, especially the nervous system.
According to the most optimistic forecasts, if all circumstances are favorable, the duration of withdrawal is limited to a week or ten days.
Pessimistic forecast – a month or more.
