Every person who has decided to quit smoking is always asked how to do it properly: abruptly or gradually. In fact, even doctors do not have a definite opinion on this issue.
Some doctors believe that the hunger for nicotine, which occurs in the body of smokers as a result of abrupt cessation of smoking, is very dangerous for the body and can cause the development of serious diseases.
Others, on the contrary, believe that it is necessary to quit smoking in this way - to get rid of this addiction once and for all, and all methods of gradual cessation of smoking simply do not make sense.
In order to avoid long-lasting disputes and reasoning, each person should think carefully and decide which method suits 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, in order to make the right choice between immediate and gradual cessation of nicotine intake, every smoker must know what will happen to his body if he abruptly stops smoking.
What happens if you suddenly stop smoking: 8 negative consequences
Because a heavy smoker constantly receives a certain dose of nicotine, it creates an incredibly strong physical and mental dependence. Of course, if his body completely unexpectedly denies him some kind of "feeding", he may begin an abstinence syndrome or "withdrawal".
Tobacco smoking is similar to drug addiction, which is why quitting cigarettes can be difficult for some people.
After a sudden cessation of smoking, the addict may encounter a number of negative feelings, but they are all temporary. It is precisely the reaction of the body, not its permanent state in the future. Further health benefits of rejection are much more significant than temporary inconveniences and sensations.
- A person who has stopped smoking after prolonged 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 worsen all chronic diseases.
- Dizziness and headaches of high intensity, which are associated with a drop in blood pressure caused by a sudden cessation of smoking.
- Disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, which manifests itself in the form of diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, nausea or vomiting.
- Cough with sputum production. Cough attacks are especially common in the early morning hours, immediately after waking up, because a large amount of mucus accumulates in the body of a former smoker during sleep.
- Feeling short of breath, like choking.
- Unexpected sharp weight gain of several kilograms. It is this unpleasant consequence that in most cases prevents men, especially women, from quitting smoking abruptly.
- Increased anxiety, irritability.
- Lethargy, apathy and bad mood. Some people who are particularly susceptible, as a result of the immediate cessation of smoking, develop severe depression that can only be resolved during long-term work with a qualified psychologist.
Is it dangerous to quit smoking abruptly?
Of course, no one wants to experience a condition that occurs in the body as a result of an unexpected cessation of smoking.
Most of the women and men who took such a serious step say that they felt simply horrible and that they constantly wanted to give up everything and smoke a cigarette again.
The expectation of various negative consequences very often leads people to debate whether it is really harmful and dangerous to quit smoking abruptly.
Of course, it cannot be said that this is unequivocally useful, because the body of a large smoker experiences strong stress in such a situation, and it can react to such changes in different ways.
However, it should be understood that, although 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 the listed 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 former smoker again.
Contrary to popular belief, this also applies to unexpected weight gain. As a rule, after a sharp cessation of smoking, there is a disorder of metabolism, which leads to the appearance of excess weight. You should not be afraid of that, because if you exercise and eat properly, they will disappear just as suddenly as they appeared.
Sharp or gradual: which rejection method is right for you?
Each person’s body is individual, and the method of unexpectedly stopping nicotine use is not suitable for everyone. However, according to the results of numerous clinical trials, for smokers with less than 10 years of nicotine addiction, such withdrawal is in most cases quite easy and painless.
If smoking tobacco has already become a habit, and the body of a man or woman receives its daily dose of nicotine for 10 or more years, before you abruptly give up cigarettes, you must think 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, physical and mental;
- general health, presence of chronic diseases;
- nervous system condition;
- quality of human nutrition;
- smoker's living conditions;
- duration of nicotine use;
- the degree of nicotine dependence, which is 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 give up cigarettes forever. Because this can be really dangerous in some cases, a qualified doctor may recommend that you use gradual smoking cessation.
In that case, the smoker should smoothly reduce the number of cigarettes. As a rule, they start with a reduction 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 is enough for him, he should finally stop smoking.
In such circumstances, the smoker's body gradually gets rid of alkaloids and begins to produce acetylcholine on its own, which helps to get rid of addictions without interruption and almost painlessly. At the same time, the negative consequences and unpleasant symptoms appear very mildly or are not noticed at all.
No matter how exactly you decide to quit smoking - abruptly or gradually - be confident in your abilities and be sure to go to the end.
The harm of smoking for the human body is obvious, so you should not delay the moment of cessation, because after a while it will be much harder to give up this bad habit.