Smokers deal with a lot these days – they can’t smoke in bars, sometimes their friends won’t let them smoke in the house, and there is definitely a stigma that surrounds smoking. And of course, they always hear that they need to just quit smoking. And while quitting smoking is definitely a good thing to do – especially considering how smoking severely affects a person’s health – it’s not quite that simple. After all, the smoker then has to deal with the effects of quitting smoking – and it’s not the walk in the park everyone makes it out to be!
The Most Common Effects of Quitting Smoking
There are two types of symptoms that are effects of quitting smoking: physical symptoms and psychological symptoms.
The physical symptoms manifest in a number of ways some people suffer from all of these others, only one or two, these symptoms are: Cravings- during the withdrawal stages people crave the nicotine hit that their body has become accustomed to. Messed-up sleep cycle- It is not uncommon for quitters to report restlessness or fatigue either one can disrupt the sleep cycle. Headaches – while smoking can causes headaches in some, it is also possible to get them from quitting as well! Weight gain – an increased appetite is on of the most commonly quoted effect of quitting smoking and it is true people end up eating more partly as a substitute for the cigarette. Concentration – Because of a mix of the above symptoms quitters can find they have trouble concentrating eg. They can’t sleep or they’re having bad cravings.
The psychological effects of quitting smoking are just as hard to deal with as the actual withdrawal symptoms. The fluctuating chemical levels in the body cause many different things to happen. The withdrawal symptoms in people who smoke are similar to those of people getting off of any other drug. Often, people develop very mild depression that lasts a few days. They also develop feelings of irritability, anger and frustration. The effects of quitting smoking can also cause people to become anxious and irritable as well. (This is especially common with teen smoking as well – teenagers are a bundle or hormones anyway!) !
But of course these draw backs are nothing when compared to all the benefits that can come from quitting smoking. Firstly, within 15 years all of the increased health risks associated with smoking – lung cancer, respiratory issues, heart attacks will have returned the level of non-smokers, and secondly you will have whiter teeth, you no longer smell like smoke and you save large amounts of money every year.
However, while the negative effects of quitting smoking can be a challenge to overcome to start off with, in the end it’s all worth it – you’ll find that you will be happier and be living a better lifestyle.
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