If you’re planning to quit smoking, you should be aware of the challenges that you might face. It’s a very challenging journey—where you will experience several ups and downs. 

Acknowledging the challenges you might face can help you prepare both mentally and physically for the changes ahead. In time, you’ll come to see that quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make for a healthier, happier you.

Quitting smoking: Understanding the challenges

For sure, people who’ve tried to quit smoking but failed each time have probably wondered why it’s so hard to break the habit.

If you’re one of those people, it’s important to understand and accept that quitting smoking can present challenges for both your body and mind.

Physically, you may experience withdrawal symptoms and weight fluctuations, while psychologically, you might deal with addiction-driven cravings, triggers, and emotional changes.

Taking the time and effort to truly understand the challenges you may encounter allows you to plan your next move towards managing those struggles and using them as tools to help you succeed on your journey. 

Of course, having the right people and strategies to support you can definitely help you get through even your lowest days and achieve your goal of quitting smoking for good.

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the most common challenges you might face on your journey.

Nicotine addiction

Addiction to nicotine is a major reason why regular, long-time smokers find it difficult or don’t even consider quitting the habit.

What is nicotine addiction?

When a person has a nicotine addiction, they repeatedly and compulsively seek and use the substance, having developed an emotional or mental dependence on it.

They don’t really care about the harmful effects and negative consequences of their excessive consumption.

People who are deeply into using tobacco aren’t just hooked because of the habit of having something in their mouth; it’s mainly because of nicotine, the addictive chemical in it. 

When you smoke, nicotine prompts your brain to release dopamine, the chemical that makes you feel pleasure. Over time, this can also help reduce unpleasant feelings like stress, irritability, and anxiety.

Nicotine can reach your brain just seconds after you inhale tobacco smoke, but its effects wear off within a few minutes.

That’s part of the reason why people end up reaching for another cigarette so soon after the last one. The more you incorporate tobacco into your routine, the more likely you are to get hooked.

Take for example those smokers who picked up the habit as kids or teens. Since younger people tend to develop nicotine addiction quicker and feel stronger cravings, it’s easy to see how smoking habits stick. 

Over time, regular smokers need more nicotine to feel that same buzz, and before they know it, they’ve built up a tolerance.

This growing need for nicotine is what makes quitting such a challenge—it’s not just a physical habit but something your brain starts relying on. 

That said, while giving up smoking can be tough, it’s not impossible. With the right mindset and determination, anyone can break free from it.

Smoking withdrawal symptoms

So, we know that nicotine addiction is the main overarching challenge to overcome when quitting smoking.

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms present additional challenges during the initial quitting period. 

They are often the catalyst for relapse.

Understanding nicotine withdrawal symptoms

Nicotine withdrawal begins the second you stub out your cigarette.

In fact, as a smoker, you would have already experienced minor episodes of withdrawal.

As we know, the effects of nicotine begin to wear off soon after you finish a cigarette. The greater your nicotine dependence, the sooner the effect wears off.

As the minutes and hours pass since your last cigarette, you may notice you start to feel anxious, irritable, or restless. You may get a headache or feel generally unwell.

These are signs that your body is entering a state of nicotine withdrawal. You’ll notice that these are the very symptoms that prompt you to reach for another cigarette. So, you smoke again, and the cycle continues.

When you are smoking regularly, you don’t experience strong withdrawal symptoms because you alleviate your discomfort with another cigarette.

However, once you commit to quitting, your withdrawal symptoms will intensify the longer you go without smoking.

Many people ask, why is day 3 of quitting smoking so hard?

This is because your withdrawal symptoms hit their peak around 72 hours after you quit — when your body has completely rid itself of nicotine. 

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can present physically and psychologically. They include

How long does nicotine withdrawal last?

Withdrawal symptoms are at their most intense 48 to 72 hours after quitting, and generally begin to decrease in intensity after a week.

Most physical withdrawal symptoms will dissipate after this initial 72 hour period, but psychological symptoms tend to last longer. They may linger for up to a month.

How hard is it to quit smoking cold turkey?

Quitting smoking cold turkey refers to quitting without external assistance or support.

People who quit smoking cold turkey do not take any more nicotine. This means they enter a state of withdrawal, and rely on willpower and nicotine-free methods to get through.

Many people attempt to quit smoking cold turkey, though this approach doesn’t work for all smokers.

Only 3 to 5% of people who quit smoking cold turkey stay smoke free for at least six to 12 months.

In contrast, smokers who have support from smoking cessation clinics — both behavioural and pharmaceutical support — have success rates of 35 – 55%, as observed over six months.

Quitting smoking cold turkey is challenging as withdrawal symptoms arise at full force. Alternatively, when you use smoking cessation tools like nicotine replacement therapies, pharmacotherapies, or prescribed nicotine vapes, you are weaned off nicotine. 

This reduces the withdrawal symptoms and slowly helps your body adjust to functioning with less nicotine. Slowly, your nicotine dose will be reduced until you are nicotine-free.

In summary, nicotine withdrawal symptoms are a major challenge for people attempting to quit smoking.

If you are attempting to quit cold turkey, you are likely to find these symptoms especially challenging as they will arise at maximum intensity.

If you plan to use smoking cessation therapies to wean you off nicotine, these challenging symptoms will be less pronounced and you may be better able to deal with them.

Link Reference:

  • https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA4599