Faced with every person who has decided to stop smoking, the question always arises of how to do it correctly: abruptly or gradually. In fact, not even doctors have a definitive opinion on the matter.
Some doctors believe that nicotine starvation, which occurs in a smoker's body as a result of a sharp cessation of smoking, is very dangerous for the body and can provoke the development of serious diseases.
Others, on the contrary, believe that it is necessary to stop smoking in this way - to say goodbye to this addiction once and for all, and all the methods of gradual cessation of smoking simply do not make sense.
In order to avoid lengthy disputes and arguments, each person must think carefully and determine which method is most suitable for him. In any case, it should be understood that smoking cessation is only possible 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 nicotine cessation, every smoker needs to know what will happen to their body if they stop smoking abruptly.
What happens if you quit smoking abruptly: 8 negative consequences
As a heavy smoker is constantly getting a certain dose of nicotine, he forms an incredibly strong physical and psychological dependence. Of course, if completely unexpectedly for the body to deprive it of a kind of "food", a withdrawal syndrome or "withdrawal" can begin.
Smoking is similar to drug addiction, which is why quitting smoking can be difficult for some people.
When abruptly quitting smoking, the addict may be faced with a number of negative feelings, but they are all temporary. This is precisely the body's reaction, not its permanent state in the future. The added health benefits of refusal are far more significant than the inconveniences and temporary sensations.
- A person who quits smoking after prolonged use of tobacco products becomes susceptible to colds due to a weakened immune system. Also, due to the weakening of the body's defenses, an ex-smoker can exacerbate all chronic diseases.
- Dizziness and high-intensity headaches, which are associated with drops in blood pressure caused by abruptly stopping.
- Violation of the gastrointestinal tract, manifested in the form of diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, nausea or vomiting.
- Cough with sputum production. Especially often, coughing fits occur early in the 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, like choking.
- An unexpected increase in weight by several pounds. It is this unpleasant consequence that, in most cases, prevents people, especially women, from abruptly quitting smoking.
- Increased anxiety, irritability.
- Lethargy, apathy and bad mood. In some particularly susceptible people, as a result of immediate smoking cessation, severe depression occurs, which can be treated only during long-term work with a qualified psychologist.
Is it dangerous to stop smoking abruptly?
Of course, no one wants to experience the state that occurs in the body as a result of unexpected smoking cessation.
Most women and men who have taken such a serious step say they felt just plain awful and constantly wanted to drop everything and smoke a cigarette again.
The expectation of various negative consequences often leads people to discuss whether it is really harmful and dangerous to stop smoking abruptly.
Of course, this cannot be said to be unequivocally helpful, because the body of a heavy smoker in such a situation undergoes severe stress and can react to these 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 do much more harm to the body. Also, all of the above negative effects are only short term.
It will take a little 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 never bother the ex-smoker again.
Contrary to popular belief, this also applies to unexpected weight gain. As a rule, after a sharp cessation of smoking, metabolism is disturbed, which leads to the appearance of extra pounds. You shouldn't be afraid of this, because if you exercise and eat right, they will disappear just as suddenly as they appeared.
Markedly or gradually: which refusal method is right for you?
Each person's body is individual, and the method of unexpected cessation of nicotine use is not suitable for everyone. However, based on the results of several clinical trials, for smokers with less than 10 years of nicotine addiction, this withdrawal in most cases is quite easy and painless.
If tobacco smoking has already become a habit, and a man or woman's body gets its dose of nicotine every day for 10 years or more, before abruptly giving up smoking, you need to 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, the presence of chronic diseases;
- state of the nervous system;
- the quality of human nutrition;
- smoking conditions;
- duration of nicotine use;
- the degree of nicotine dependence, as 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 abruptly and unexpectedly stop using nicotine and give up smoking for good. As this can be really dangerous in some cases, a qualified physician may recommend that you use gradual tobacco cessation.
In this case, the smoker should gently reduce the number of cigarettes. As a rule, they start by reducing to 10 cigarettes a day, then to 5, then to 3, and finally the last step is 2 cigarettes a day. After the body is used to consuming just two cigarettes a day, and that is enough for it, you should finally stop smoking.
Under such circumstances, the smoker's body gradually weaned itself from the alkaloid and begins to independently produce acetylcholine, which helps to get rid of addiction smoothly and almost painlessly. At the same time, negative consequences and unpleasant symptoms appear very slightly or are not noticeable.
Regardless of how exactly you decide to stop smoking - abruptly or gradually - trust your abilities and make sure you go all the way.
The harm of smoking to the human body is obvious, so you should not delay the moment to quit, because after a while it will be much more difficult to give up this bad habit.