Understanding Withdrawal

Once you decide to go smoke-free, get ready for a rollercoaster ride known as withdrawal. It comes with several symptoms that can vary from person to person. 

These symptoms can also come and go, so you might have a good day today and a tough one tomorrow, without any warning.

Here are some common experiences you might go through during withdrawal:

  • Hard-to-resist cravings for cigarettes
  • Feeling down or in a bad mood
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Feeling tense, snappy, or grumpy
  • Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly
  • Feeling jittery and restless
  • A slower heart rate
  • Increased hunger
  • Weight gain

But here’s the good news: these symptoms will ease and eventually go away completely after about 2 weeks, as long as you don’t pick up a cigarette again.

Understanding Nicotine Cravings

Typically, based on the experiences of many former smokers, the urge to smoke can last a lot longer than other withdrawal symptoms. 

Sometimes, you might feel confident that you haven’t missed a cigarette for months, and then suddenly, a craving will surprise you. Even one moment like this can make you want to smoke again.

So what should you do if this happens? Don’t worry—your progress won’t go to waste. 

Your cravings and withdrawal symptoms will eventually fade. Keep yourself busy and don’t give nicotine or smoking a chance to ruin what you’ve started. 

If you find that activities alone aren’t helping, some smokers turn to nicotine vaping or NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) to get through withdrawal and manage their cravings.

Click here to learn more about cravings.

Nicotine withdrawal isn’t dangerous

Some people may feel a lot of symptoms during withdrawal, which can be painful. But there is no health risk from stopping smoking. In fact, the best thing you can do for your health is to stop smoking. Over time, even the worst withdrawal symptoms will get better.

After quitting smoking, some people experience increased sadness. Watch out for this, particularly if you’ve ever experienced depression. Let a friend or family member know if you become depressed or experience extreme sadness, and consider speaking with your doctor.

Nicotine and withdrawal

Nicotine is the main addictive substance in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco. Nicotine is a drug that affects many parts of your body, including your brain.

Over time, your body and brain get used to having nicotine in them.

About 80 to 90% of people who smoke regularly are addicted to nicotine. When you stop smoking, your body has to get used to not having nicotine. That’s called withdrawal, and it can be uncomfortable.

Craving cigarettes, feeling sad or irritable, or trouble sleeping are some common symptoms. Some people say it feels like a mild case of the flu. For most people, the worst symptoms last a few days to a few weeks.

Managing withdrawal symptoms will help you feel better and be prepared for those tougher moments.

You can prepare for withdrawal

Withdrawal feelings usually are the strongest in the first week after quitting. Many people don’t like how withdrawal feels, so some people start smoking again to feel better. The first week after quitting is when you are most at risk for a slip.

It helps your quit attempt to be prepared and know what to expect so you can stay smokefree.

One way to be prepared is to use nicotine vaping products (NVPs) or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Both NVPs and NRT can be helpful for dealing with withdrawal and managing cravings.