One of the reasons people don’t quit smoking – or any addictive drug – is fear of withdrawal symptoms. What you go through to quit can seem worse than the risk of future harm from smoking but in the long run it’s a brief period of discomfort compared to a lifetime of illness – heart and lung disease and many types of cancer. It might be helpful for some to know there is a general timeline for what you’ll go through during nicotine withdrawal so you won’t be left wondering if it will never end.
Here are the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal:
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Nicotine cravings
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Difficulty concentrating
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Depression and anxiety
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Irritability
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Sweating
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Tingling in hands and feet
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Nausea, vomiting and cramping
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Headaches
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Sore throat
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Insomnia
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Weight gain
Most of these will peak on the 2nd or 3rd day after you quit. Not everyone who quits will experience all of these but irritability, cravings and trouble concentrating are the most common. The first 72 hours are going to be the worst.
Four hours after your last cigarette the nicotine level in your system has dropped 90% and you’ll start to crave your next one. You might feel a little restless or fidgety. This is a good time to do something with your body. Go for a run, mow the lawn, clean the house – just keep your mind and body occupied. This will pass.
Ten hours after your last cigarette you will have already had a couple of cravings. Some people get extremely hungry during this period because smoking raises blood sugar levels and those will have started to drop. Your hands and feet will start to tingle. This is a good thing – your circulation is returning to normal.
Twenty four hours after your last cigarette your body will have used up all the nicotine. Make sure you eat and drink plenty but healthy. Continue to find ways to occupy your mind and body and don’t give in to the irritability and anxiety.
After 48 hours the worst should be over. You’ll still have cravings and your mood might be a little off but remember everything you’ve been through to get to this point. Keep doing what you’ve been doing to distract yourself.
It may take up to 21 days for the cravings to feel totally manageable although they may still be there. At this point you’ve done the hard part. Now you have to remind yourself every day not to give in to stress or peer pressure or any of the other reasons you started smoking in the first place. Remember why you quit and how hard you worked to get here.
If you or a loved one need help quitting drugs or alcohol consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, residential and outpatient programs and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors and therapists. Call us anytime at (949)-763-3440.