There is a common myth among smokers that quitting smoking suddenly is harmful and has serious consequences for the body. Many people prefer to prolong this process, gradually reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day. In fact, not everything is so scary, and doctors have an unequivocal answer to the question of whether it is possible to suddenly quit smoking. Let's find out.
Nicotine as medicine
Nicotine falls under the category of “fast” drugs - addiction to it starts in just a few months of use, but it also stops quickly. On average, it can take three to seven days to overcome a bad habit on a physiological level.
Tobacco smoke contains around 4000 chemical compounds, of which 250 are toxic. An organism accustomed to nicotine requires new doses every and a half hours, after two hours of abstinence, blood pressure may rise, a person will feel nervous. However, if you restrain yourself and don't smoke for at least three days, things will go much easier.
Practice shows that phasing out cigarettes is a dead end. More often than not, the smoker breaks down again and reverts to the previous dose of nicotine. But stopping nicotine abruptly can actually work.
What happens in the body
If you stop the daily serving of nicotine, the following changes will occur in the human body:
- Increased blood flow. Blood begins to flow more actively to the brain and heart. After some time, the blood pressure will stabilize, and the restoration of blood vessels damaged during the period of addiction will begin.
- Normalization of bowel function. The gastrointestinal microflora suffers greatly from carcinogens, which the smoker inhales with smoke. With a sudden rejection of nicotine, the intestines stabilize, vitamins and nutrients begin to be absorbed better.
- Restoration of immunity. In people dependent on nicotine, the immune system is weakened, it is not able to fully perform its functions. You've probably noticed that smokers get sick much more often than people without addictions.
- Oxygenation of the body. Due to the improved ventilation of the lungs, more oxygen begins to enter the body. Fatigue disappears, the feeling of weakness during the working day decreases and sleep improves.
Side effects
Remember that nicotine is a drug and smoking is addictive. Like any other drug addiction, it does not go away without a trace, and the first few days a person will not feel very comfortable. The following side effects may occur when you suddenly stop smoking:
- Anxiety and irritability. The first effect a person will experience when they quit smoking. It can appear after two to three hours of abstinence.
- Slight dizziness. It is caused by a lack of oxygen - the vascular tone returns to normal, and this takes time. It takes place on average per day.
- Onset of dyspnea. Another consequence of oxygen deprivation, but here the reason is the restoration of the lungs. It goes away completely after a month or less, usually after one to two weeks.
- Decreased appetite. It is more pronounced in the first days of abstinence. Within a week, the appetite returns. In addition, a person begins to feel the fullness of the taste of food, which he did not even know before.
- Cough. Toxic substances accumulated in the smoker's lungs are removed from the body, and as a result, a cough appears. The cough is often accompanied by phlegm and mucus. It decreases after a month and after six months it disappears completely.
- Insomnia. Emotional depression from a lack of nicotine makes it difficult for a person to fall asleep. In some cases, insomnia can occur. It goes away on its own after three to four days, but you can use medicines to reduce anxiety and sleep better.
As we can see, there are no serious side effects that can cause serious bodily harm. Of course, stopping smoking abruptly will require a lot of willpower, especially in the first few days, but nothing will threaten your health. On the contrary, after only a week of abstinence, a person begins to feel much better than the entire period of nicotine consumption.
Psychological factor
For many smokers, it is much easier to overcome physiological side effects than it is to deal with psychological addiction. Smoking is quite a ritual, everyone has their own. Someone smokes a cigarette before breakfast, someone can't imagine how you can wait for public transport and not smoke, and coffee with a cigarette is generally sacred. It can be extremely difficult to let go of these little habits and completely rebuild your life.
If the willpower is not enough to suddenly quit smoking, you can contact your family and friends. Let them distract from their bad thoughts and offer them maximum support. Another option is to seek the help of a psychologist, there is nothing to be ashamed of in this.
Smoking and women
Another myth in this category concerns women: how dangerous is it for them to suddenly quit smoking? For example, it is believed that pregnant women should not suddenly give up nicotine. They say it will cause stress, which will negatively affect the baby. In fact, doctors strongly recommend that in such a situation it is about the immediate cessation of addiction. Each cigarette smoked will affect the development of the fetus.
The situation is the same with the myth that you can't quit smoking while on your period. In fact, you can. At the physiological level, nothing negative will happen to the body, difficulties can arise only at the psychological level. Another misconception is that stopping smoking abruptly will affect the effect of the medications taken. However, there is not a single scientifically proven case where the drugs change their pharmacological properties due to a sudden stop in the supply of nicotine to the body.
Buffs
The positive changes in the body have been written above, now we will describe the most visible effects for a former smoker:
- The skin looks fresher. The yellowish tint of the epidermis disappears, as more minerals, vitamins and oxygen begin to enter the blood. Healthy skin will come back about six months after you quit smoking.
- Sensitivity to taste and smell increases. The smoker's smell and taste buds are not working at full capacity, the longer a person smokes, the duller they become. If you give up the addiction, you can experience the fullness of taste and smell.
- Improved tone. Stamina, increased activity, lack of fatigue. All of this is felt by a former smoker. It will be possible to forget the ailments and feelings of apathy.
In summary we can say: you can suddenly quit smoking! And even necessary. There will be no serious negative consequences for the body.