Each morning, your charred throat aches and you rise faced with the knowledge that you're polluting your body, your loved ones and the world around you. Every cell in your body seems to demand a cigarette. You make up your mind to quit, and then you're lighting up again, hating yourself. You're a slave to your nicotine cravings, and not even the looming threat of cancer overpowers them.
It doesn't have to be this way. You are stronger than these cravings, and you can overcome their psychological and physical symptoms.
Symptoms
The physical and psychological withdrawal after quitting smoking can make you feel anxious, irritable, unable to concentrate and unusually hungry. Physical withdrawal from nicotine usually lasts anywhere from three days to a couple of weeks if you don't use nicotine-replacement therapies. Psychological cravings can remain for months or, to a much lesser degree, years. Certain foods, stress, coffee and alcohol can trigger flare-ups of these cravings even after long periods of dormancy.
Physical Withdrawal
There's no need to bear the full brunt of nicotine withdrawal. Applying over-the-counter nicotine patches, chewing nicotine gum or taking prescription medication can help ease physical withdrawal and allow you to tackle the psychological withdrawal. Although nicotine-replacement therapies continue to introduce nicotine into your system, slowly weaning off nicotine allows for a less drastic and painful withdrawal.
Psychological Withdrawal
Over time, smokers program themselves to think of cigarettes as a reward. By reconditioning your smoking-related thought processes, your psychological withdrawal will be less intense. Increased hunger after quitting smoking also has psychological roots. Keep low-calorie, nutritious foods around until you adjust to life without cigarettes. Nicotine-infused gums and lozenges work to fight off both physical and psychological cravings.
When you find yourself instinctively reaching for a cigarette or fumbling for a lighter, flex your hand instead and feel the freedom of not having to carry around cigarettes and a lighter everywhere. Take a deep breath, stretch or find other calming rituals to take the ugly edge off of a craving.
Focus on Breath
If you are a "shallow breather," the anxiety and irritability you feel after quitting smoking may be compounded by a lack of oxygen caused by a buildup of carbon dioxide in your lungs. For some, smoking cigarettes is the only time they ever take long, deep breaths. After quitting, it's possible that symptoms of nervousness or irritability you're associating with withdrawal can ease by breathing deeply. Incorporating a few minutes of deep-breath meditation, also known as "breath focus," into your life as a daily practice may alleviate some withdrawal symptoms.
