If you are reading this article because you finally decided to take this crucial step and say goodbye to cigarettes, then congrats, because that’s one of the most important decisions a person can make in terms of their health. A lot of people, particularly chain smokers, have tried to do it numerous times because the previous attempts weren’t successful. Why is that? Well, that’s because smoking isn’t just an addiction, but a habit that’s difficult to get rid of, especially if you’ve been doing it for decades.
But you shouldn’t allow these so-called failures to discourage you. Instead, begin your “war” against this vice by reading this guide, so you can properly get familiar with all the potential hurdles that you’ll encounter.
Withdrawal symptoms are very noticeable
One of the first challenges that people face once they embark on this journey is nicotine withdrawal. It is widely known that nicotine is extremely addictive. When your body is “deprived” of it, it starts developing several different symptoms.
Although they can be unpleasant to some, just keep reminding yourself that they won’t last forever, and that you should do your best to ignore them by occupying your mind and body with something else. The most common symptoms include the following:
- Lack of focus
- Mood swings
- Headaches
- Not being capable of sitting still
- Decreased/increased appetite
- Sleep issues
In the beginning, you may feel as if all of these symptoms are very intense, and that is true, but don’t forget that soon, they’ll start to subside, and at some point, they’ll be completely gone once your body adapts to them.
If you don’t think that you are still ready to “give up” on nicotine, then at least what you can do is to opt for a healthier alternative. This refers to e-cigarettes that come with rechargeable vape batteries, which are going to satisfy your nicotine cravings without harming your health the same way cigarettes would. That’s at least what many smokers do until they are one hundred percent sure they are ready to quit.
You want everything to end fast
One of the most common and obvious obstacles on this journey is the lack of patience, which is completely normal, but can surely make things harder. The first couple of days (ten or so) are the most difficult, and that’s the period of time when people need a huge amount of support to overcome this addiction.
A vast majority of people who smoke fail to steer clear of it in the first three months. That’s because they have those moments, such as “I’ll take only one cigarette, or one puff”, but sadly, it rarely stays that way.
If that’s something that happens to you, too, just keep telling yourself how you’ll feel so much better and how your overall health is going to be radically improved once you quit smoking for good.
Now, no one says that you will be successful when it comes to this immediately. The most critical thing is to never give up trying. It’s totally normal to have an urge, but just do not allow it to prevail.
Dealing with the strong urges
Speaking of urges, it’s important to further delve into them since they are part of most people’s quitting journey. You can expect them to appear out of nowhere, particularly in the first few days or even weeks.
Why do they occur in the first place? Well, there are several reasons why they strike so suddenly, and these are the most common:
- Because you are going through a stressful situation
- You are simply bored
- You just ate
- You are drinking coffee
- You are hanging out with people who are smokers
As previously mentioned, smoking has become part of your routine, so it makes sense that it wants to “remind you” of its existence from time to time, but just do whatever is in your power to ignore it.
Being hard on yourself
Even though most people are aware of how difficult it is to quit smoking, they still tend to be way too hard on themselves once they see that they still have cravings or they had a couple of slips.
But what you need to understand is that all of these things are quite normal and that you should be proud of yourself for deciding to embark on such a tough journey, and yet you still haven’t given up.
While going through it (as previously mentioned), you’ll go through several different symptoms, both physical and mental, but bear in mind that they will quickly go away and that soon, you’ll feel like your old self, the person you were before you entered the world of tobacco.
Therefore, instead of being overly critical of yourself, it would be much better if you started celebrating every milestone you’ve made, even the smallest one, because, remember, there’s no such thing as small when it comes to this whole experience.
The psychological effect
Although most people perceive smoking as nothing but a physical habit (which is true to some extent), keep in mind that it’s also very connected to the mental aspect of your being. So, what does it mean?
It means that once you decide to stop smoking, that (in the beginning) you’ll get a feeling as if you lost a very important tool that has helped you, numerous times in the past, to deal with particular emotions and mental states.
Now that it is gone, you may, all of a sudden, feel a lot more vulnerable because you simply do not know how to navigate certain challenges without it. But just because you feel that way right now, it doesn’t mean that it will stay that way forever.
Luckily, there are a plethora of fantastic methods, such as meditation, relaxation strategies, and many others, that can be a perfect replacement for tobacco.
Leaving cigarettes for good is for sure a massive change that requires a lot of effort and patience. There’ll be some hurdles along the way, but you shouldn’t let them stop you from achieving the ultimate goal that will benefit you in the long run.