Finding Help for Cigarette Withdrawal
It’s time to stop for good!
The first few weeks following your decision to quit smoking can lead to rather harsh symptoms of withdrawal that make continuing to stay abstinent from the use of cigarettes a difficult process. Smoking cigarettes is more than just a bad habit. It’s a dangerous and potentially deadly habit that leads to nicotine addiction!
Cigarette withdrawal takes place mere hours after you smoke a cigarette and can continue for a period of up to six months depending on how severe your addiction is, how much you smoked, how long you smoked and various other individual factors pertaining to your situation. Over time, smoking becomes more than just a bad habit, it becomes an addiction that is difficult to beat and dangerous to live with.
Common Signs of Cigarette Withdrawal
When you quit smoking, your body goes through similar changes to those that you feel when you first become addicted to nicotine. As the body craves cigarettes and the nicotine that comes from them you will begin to feel various symptoms of withdrawal such as:
- Increasing urge to smoke
- Mild to moderately depressed mood
- Insomnia or nightmares
- Trouble concentrating or staying focused
- Anxiety and increased nervousness
- Restlessness and irritability
- Slowed heart rate
- Increased appetite
- Weight gain
Smoking cigarettes can lead to lifetime consequences. Your best chance at staying healthy is to avoid smoking cigarettes. If you do smoke, quitting is your best chance at taking back control of your health. Sustained smoking can lead to a wealth of health problems including:
- Cancer
- Lung disease
- Heart disease
- Organ damage
- Skin deterioration
As soon as you quit smoking you will begin to reap the rewards. Studies show that people who smoke cigarettes and then decide to quit begin to experience positive changes in health within mere days of their last cigarette. Within a year, the lungs are able to repair themselves back to more than 50% of their pre-cigarette condition. The best time to quit smoking is now!
If you’re fortunate enough to quit smoking before lifelong consequences have already set in then you should consider yourself very lucky! Many smokers are not lucky enough to quit before the negative consequences have already taken serious control of their body. Even if you have suffered from adverse health effects such as lung problems, cancer or any of the other potential consequences of smoking cigarettes it’s still a good time to quit. By quitting, you could prevent any further damage that cigarette smoking would otherwise do to your body.
Finding Help For Cigarette Withdrawal Symptoms
It’s difficult to quit smoking but it’s not impossible. Finding help in a support group, through therapy or from a healthcare professional can ensure that you get well and meet your goal of refraining from cigarette use. Various forms of help are available to assist you in quitting and in remaining abstinent from cigarettes. If you or someone you know needs help to quit smoking, call our helpline to speak with a counselor.