Quitting Smoking Side Effects : What Happens To Your Body When You Quit Smoking With Cold Turkey, Zyban Or Chantix
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Stop Smoking Side Effects
There Are More Physical And Emotional Side Effects When Quitting Smoking With
Cold Turkey Methods Such As:
- Chantix or (Champix outside of the USA)
- Zyban or Wellbutrin
- Hypnosis, acupuncture
- Nicotine patches
- Commit Lozenges
- Nicotine nasal spray
- Nicotine water
- Electronic Cigarettes
- Nicotine Laser Treatment
- Cold Turkey
SYMPTOMS......DURATION.......TREATMENT
OF STOPPING SMOKING COLD TURKEY
Smoking can affect the body in monumental ways. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms. Here are some of the most common complaints when a smoker stops smoking with cold turkey methods.
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DIGESTIVE
- Acid Indigestion/Heartburn - If you had acid indigestion before you quit, it will get a bit worse and then it will go away. If you never had heartburn this symptom can last for about 3 weeks to 3 months. Try Tums or DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice), which may help acid reflux too.
- Gas or flatulence - This may last several weeks. Don't eat gas producing foods like beans, cabbage or cauliflower. You can also try Beano.
- Diarrhea -This can last a few days. Try any over the counter remedy. The body is adjusting to the new digestive changes.
- Constipation - This may last for several weeks. Cigarettes used to act like a diuretic and also like a laxative. Try an over the counter remedy for relief.
- Nausea - This symptom almost seems like the flu. It usually lasts a week. Drinking any carbonated beverage should help.
Natural Ideas for Sinus problems
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RESPIRATORY
- Sinus Congestion - This is caused by a clearing out of the sinuses. It is almost as if (for a short period of time) someone turns on a little water hose in your head. Take an over-the-counter medication until the "dripping" stops or use a Netipot to help clear things out. This symptom may last up to 2 months.
- Cough, Throat Clearing - This is due to a cleaning and clearing of the reactivated cilia in the lungs; your body is clearing out the debris, tar and phlegm. We can't get our Oreck vacuum down in the lungs so coughing up the debris is a good thing. This may last a few days to several months.
Phlegm - This is also due to reactivated cilia. It can last a couple of months.
Hoarseness - This is also due to the fact that smokers are not "smoking" the soft tissues in the throat and the new non-smoker is getting some tender "baby" tissue almost like when a baby is teething. Basically, the tissue in the throat is regenerating. This may last several months. Use lozenges or whatever you would do for a sore throat. Hot tea with lemon and honey can help.
A Netipot Can Help Sinus Problems
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CIRCULATORY
- Dizziness - The dizziness is due to increased circulation of oxygen to the brain and the symptoms should only last a few days until your brain gets used to the extra oxygen. Give your body time to readjust to all the extra oxygen!
- Stiffness/Leg Pains - This means improved circulation. Remember you are changing at a cellular and muscular level. You will have temporary muscle changes. This almost feels like when you were having growing pains as a little kid. Take a hot bath, get a great massage, rub on Tiger Balm or just put your legs up to rest. This process may take several weeks so give yourself a break!
- Tingly Fingers & Toes - Have patience. This is also caused by improved circulation. This may last a few days to a couple of weeks.
- Swelling/Bloating/Tight Waistbands - This is due to fluid retention. Drink a lot of water and cut down on sodium. People tend to gain 3 to 7 pounds of temporary water weight when they quit smoking cold turkey. For you men, this is the closest you will ever come to PMS!
Pump Up Your Metabolism
Afraid of weight gain when you quit smoking? The time to start understanding why people gain weight is before you stop smoking. There are two main reasons why people gain weight when they quit smoking.
I have described this in more detail How To Stop Smoking And Not Gain Weight
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SLEEP CHANGES
- Insomnia - After you quit smoking, you don't go into such a deep sleep as you did when you smoked. You tend to go into REM-Rapid Eye Movement (or a lighter dream state) more often, usually every 90 minutes. Sometimes new non-smokers are not used to this "lighter" sleep and mistake the high quality REM state for not sleeping well. It almost feels like you have been up all night. Your body will get used to the new higher quality, lighter sleep.
Calms Forte is made by Hyland's and it is a great sleep aid. It is herbal and non-addictive. It makes you feel rested and not drugged in the morning. I have taken it and have told many students about it and even had my mom taking it!
- Dreams - When you quit smoking, sometimes you might have vivid dreams, maybe even nightmares. Having dreams or even nightmares is a very good sign because it means that you are working out the problems of the day at night and not smoking for them during the day. Everyone needs to dream and if you don't dream at night, you will need to daydream during the day.
- Vivid Dreams with Zyban Wellbutrin or Chantix - Although is is typical to have very vivid dreams when you quit smoking, I have heard that the dreams that you get from taking the drugs, Zyban or Chantix are more "over the top" or a lot more dramatic than the dreams that you would get by using natural methods to stop smoking.
TROUBLE SLEEPING ON THE NICOTINE PATCH
You may be on too high of a mg. dosage of nicotine patch. Contrary to what the patch manufacturers or doctors tell you, you need to look up the nicotine level of the cigarettes that you were smoking to know what level of patch you need to be on.
Nicotine makes your heart-rate beat 10,000 more beats a day and stresses out the heart.
There are 3 strengths of nicotine patches
- 21 mg
- 14 mg
- 7 mg
The patch manufacturers and doctors will ask how many packs do you smoke a day and then if you smoke a pack a day they will put you on the 21 mg patch.
They say if you smoke 1/2 pack a day they will put you on the 14 mg patch.
Many times people can't even sleep because the nicotine level is way too high.
To make sure that you are getting the right amount of nicotine if you are going to use a patch, look at a nicotine chart.
If you smoke 1 pack of Carlton's that would be 20 x .1 = 2 mg of nicotine so that person should go on the lowest patch of 7 mg and that is even very high.
Let 's say you have some one that smokes:
1/2 pack of American Spirits Ultra lights so that would be 10 x 1.79 mg of nicotine = almost 18 mg nicotine. That 1/2 pack a day smoker probably could start out on the 21 mg dose or even the 14 mg patch.
It depends on the nicotine level, not on how "many" they smoke.
A lethal dose of nicotine is 50-80 mg. all at once, and that is why you are told not to smoke when you are on the patch..... that much nicotine is very hard on the heart.
Pregnant women should not take ANY drugs to stop smoking.
FATIGUE, SLEEPINESS, DROWSINESS, AND DON'T GIVE A RIP!
Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, therefore, constricting your blood vessels and stressing out your heart. As a smoker your heart must work harder, making your heart beat 10,000 more times a day.
When you stop smoking your heart rate slows down to 10,000 beats a day, thus slowing down your metabolism. When you are not getting that punch of nicotine, you get tired, sleepy and lethargic.
Don't worry this is only temporary and will only last a few weeks. After that period of time you will have more energy than when you were a smoker!
You can take cat naps, go to bed earlier, drink fruit juice and water.
If you have to drive or run heavy machinery you can get some Enerjets. Enerjets are a coffee flavored lozenge with caffeine in them and should keep you awake and safe or you could just have another cup of coffee.
Fatigue is the chief cause of smoking, so it is important to get your rest.
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SORE MOUTH AND BLEEDING GUMS
When you smoked, you were literally smoking your gums and throat. Your gums and tissues built up a crust just like if you were smoking a salmon.
When you quit smoking that old, hard crusty tissue will slough off and in its place you will get new, baby tissue, almost like when a baby is teething.
Only about 1 out of 30 people that quit smoking or chewing get sore mouth, gums and tongue, but if you are affected by this symptom your mouth will feel like it is hot and on fire.
Don't suffer with this symptom. It may last as long as 8 weeks.
A student in one of my Nicotine Solutions classes had to have her dentures relined because there was that much of a change in her gums from quitting smoking.
Try Amosan to relieve sore mouth, gums and tongue. Amosan is a soothing mouth-rinse. It comes in a powder and you mix it with water and rinse with it and then spit it out. It is very soothing and you will be glad you didn't suffer with this symptom.
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IRRITABILITY
Irritability is caused by fluid retention and there are 2 things you you can do to stop irritability when you are in the process of quitting smoking or chewing.
Physically - Drink as much water as you possibly can and cut down on foods that are high in sodium.
Foods that are high in sodium are soups, pickles, packaged or highly processed foods, or any food that you can see the salt on.
Salt makes you retain water and water retention makes you cranky.
Emotionally - You need to teach people how they are going to treat you. In the past if you quit smoking they said, "oh you were nicer as a smoker". Now you have to explain that you are going to handle life in a different way rather than smoke for it ...and trust me..... eventually it will all smooth out.
I really like the book and the calendar called "Getting in Touch with your Inner Bitch" ..sorry guys there is no male counterpart.
People ask "is it more difficult for men or women to stop smoking"?
Women sometimes have a slightly more difficult time to stop smoking because when you quit smoking there is a hormone change. Women naturally have more hormones and are usually more affected by quitting smoking.
There is more of a chance of being cranky or irritable if you quit cold turkey. If you find a program that allows you to keep smoking while you are learning how to quit, you will have more of a chance of quitting calmly, comfortably and permanently.
Drugs are not always the answer because stopping smoking is such a multifaceted habit that you need to deal with it on many levels.
It takes more than just a pill like Chantix, or Zyban to stop smoking. It also takes more than just hypnosis, which is just mental, or acupuncture which is just physical to quit smoking.
The smoking habit has a little bit to do with nicotine (maybe 5%) and more to do with stuffed emotions, behaviors and habits. The nicotine is only in your system for 72 hours and after that, all you are left with are your feelings, emotions, behaviors, habits and routines. Those are the things that need to be dealt with while you are still smoking in order to quit permanently and to be happy about it!
You need to be ready, prepared and detoxified before you actually stop smoking so you don't feel like you lost your best friend or got hit by a freight train when you finally do stop smoking.
Stopping smoking does take preparation...it doesn't happen overnight.
It takes 21 days to break a habit and smoking is a habit.
OTHER SIDE EFFECTS
- Itchiness -If you are doing a lot of itching, it is just better circulation, and it will only last a few weeks.
- Depression - If it continues take an herbal drug remedy called Sulfonil by Thorne. You need more than a pill to quit smoking, but it will help the depression or anxiety.
- Headache - This is usually caused by cutting down on caffeine. Increase your caffeine and it should go away in a week.
- Excitement - Your emotions are all over the board. Give yourself some time to smooth out.
- Hot Flashes - I had hot flashes when I quit smoking in 1978. I would have smoked in the shower if I could have kept them lit. There is a hormone change when you quit smoking for men and women.
I had hot flashes when I
- quit smoking
- lost weight
- went through menopause
When you quit smoking, hot flashes will only last a few weeks and you can use a natural progesterone cream. Rub a 1/4 tsp on a fatty part of your body in the morning and in the evening.
I recommend a natural progesterone cream called ProGest made by Emerita because both men and women can use it. It doesn't have other ingredients in it like Black Cohosh and it is natural. (It is NOT hormone replacement therapy or HRT).
Note for Men...you will not grow breasts if you rub this cream on! If you have been a smoker, natural progesterone cream will also help with osteoporosis. Smoking is one of the main causes of osteoporosis.
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Author of My diary of giving up smoking with Nicotine Solutions
Is she a Movie Star?
She stopped smoking with Nicotine Solutions and here is her diary!
Ha! True confessions!
http://hubpages.com/hub/My-Diary-of-Giving-up-Smoking-with-the-Nicotine-Solutions-Course
http://hubpages.com/hub/Six-Months-After-Stopping-Smoking-the-Easy-Way
http://hubpages.com/hub/One-year-after-I-successfully-quit-smoking-and-how-I-did-it
Don't Suffer Through The Horrible Side Effects of Cold Turkey
COLD TURKEY IS SO YESTERDAY... At Nicotine Solutions You Keep Smoking While you Learn to Quit.
It takes at least 21 days to permanently change a behavior and that is why taking a pill like Chantix or Zyban or doing hypnosis or acupuncture does not address this mutifaceted habit.
The habit of smoking has you Emotionally, Socially, Psychologically, Physically and Financially.
You need to smoke while you learn to stop to :
- Detoxify from the nicotine
- Change youy habits and routines
- Learn new routines about what to do first thing in the morning & last thing at night
- What to do after meals
- What do you do with your hands
- How do you reward yourself
- How do you complete activities
- What do you do under stress
- How do you deal with emotions
- Who will be your new companion
- How will you get escape or "me time"
- And....most importantly how to start your car without that cigarette!
If you are ready to quit forever and become a happy non-smoker, then there is help out there for you, like Nicotine Solutions. You don't have to suffer and it can be calm and comfortable.
What Can A Non-Smoker Do To Help A Smoker Or Chewer Stop Smoking
Stephanie and I have collaborated on How To Help Someone Stop Smoking.
Stephanie Eldringhoff helps non-smokers support smokers to stop smoking
CommentsLoading...
Jean Mayheu,
On the sleep you could try Calms Forte. It is an herbal remedy that is non-addictive. It is made by Hylands and you can find it in the good health food stores.
The chest feeling tighter and runny nose are symptoms of recovery. It might be a little due to the altitude as well.
Time will tell when you get back if you will want a cigarette.
There are many sleep changes from quitting smoking. You will sleep lighter and get better rem sleep and it will seem like you are not sleeping at all but it is actually a better quality of sleep because you are getting better REM sleep.
It will probably last another month or so
The chest feeling tighter and runny nose are symptoms of recovery. It might be a little due to the altitude as well.
Time will tell when you get back if you will want a cigarette.
Hi Lela! Good advice on not taking the cold turkey route. Ironically, I am on a trip which is higher altitude than I am used to and haven't had the same desire to smoke. Usually I smoke a pack a day but am down to 5 or 6. I know if I don't worry about whether or not I can have one I will eventually be able to stop (especially with your advice) I am noticing side affects. My chest feels like it wants to explode ( could be altitude also?) and my nose is sniffly and I'm coughing up all kinds of garbage. I feel like I have a cold but I think it's related to the lack of smoking. I hope when I get back home I find myself still with less desire because it's exciting to be able to shrug off a cigarette and not pine away for them.
Wow. Cannot sleep is my worst complaint. Love this site.On my 3rd day, I could fight harder with some sleep, hopefully tonight. Thank you.
ouch. i just quit. then i felt a burning sensation to the left outer corner of my mouth, and itchy. Then it came and went for a couple of weeks. Then I awoke one morning with this huge crusty patch visibly noticeable. Only on the outside. Then I awoke this morning with matching on the other side. I used honey, vasoline, and only am brushing at night. Nothing on the inside. Now it appears the lip portion on the top lip and bottom lip are getting bumps and appear to me shedding.
i havepacked in for nine days and god i feel like crap depressed keep going on at my boyfriend moody sad and bloody down in the dumps wished id never smoked just got to keep going and try to calm down good luck everyone
Main Cold Turkey Methods are:
•Chantix or (Champix in Canada)
•Zyban or Wellbutrin
•Hypnosis, acupuncture
•Nicotine patches
•Commit Lozenges
to me this is not cold turkey , wake up cold turkey means nothing going in body at all
I stumbled over your site today as I quit smoking dec 31,2010 , new years resolution. I have been sick ever since . But now that I have read the symptoms here I realize its all due to me quitting smoking . I must say my sinus's are really bad since I quit , just wont stop running , driving me crazy. I smoked since I was 16 and now I am 46 and finally quit. I am so proud of myself and only wish the rest of my family would give it up . The first week was the worse but after 3 weeks no more cravings . Cold turkey did it for me . Now when I drive by people that are braving the snow storms standing out side their place of work having a smoke break I realize that the cigarette truely does control them and I feel good that i no longer have to do that ....:O)...learned alot from your site and thank you
It's so good to be able to read about other people's experiences. Thank you for setting up this website. And everyone's right about how much more extensive the information on withdrawal symptoms are on this site.
It's Day 6 for me and it seems to be getting easier - but I'm not sure. Today I told my daughter she has two weeks to leave home. I've been on her case from Day 1 and yesterday she told me I'm using her as a punch bag. Maybe I am, but it's because I can suddenly see how much she's been using me over the years. Now that I'm not smoking, I can't hide behind the cigarette or have the dopamine to make me feel better. This wasn't supposed to happen. Quitting was supposed to make us closer. Instead it's resulted in me asking her to do more chores in the home or move out. I feel I've been a slave to her the same way I've been a slave to tobacco and I've just claimed my freedom! Is this normal??
YES I QUIT COLD TURKEY 25 DAYS AGO, I AM BLESSED TO SAY THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY SIDE AFFECTS, THANK YOU JESUS . I BELIEVE ITS A MIND THING, THIS IS THE FORTH TIME I HAVE QUIT COLD TURKEY, AND BELIEVE ME ITS THE BEST WAY FOR ME. I BELIEVE THAT NO MATTER HOW YOU CHOOSE TO QUIT, IF YOU DON'T MAKE UP YOUR MIND THAT YOU WANT TO QUIT THEN YOU WILL FAIL. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT, AND I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT IF YOU NEVER PICK UP A CIGARETTE AND SMOKE IT, (JUST ONE AFTER YOU HAVE QUIT SMOKING ) THEN YOU WON'T START BACK, THE LAST TIME I QUIT FOR 9 MONTHS, AND I DECIDED TO JUST SMOKE ONE CIGARETTE AND NO MORE, BAD MISTAKE, I WENT BACK TO SMOKING AND I SMOKED TWICE AS MUCH AS I DID BEFORE. SO AS LONG AS I CAN KEEP MYSELF FROM PICKING UP THAT ONE CIGARETTE, I'LL BE OK. I HAVE SMOKED FOR 33 YEARS, SINCE I WAS 18 YRS OLD. MY MOM DIED FROM EMPHESIMA AT 60. SHE SMOKED FOR 50 YEARS. NOT ME !!!!
BTW.. wanted to add some side effects from the cold turkey method. Day one is hard I won't lie. Day two and three get harder... by Day 4 your feeling confident. The best thing to do.. DO NOT GIVE IN. THe first 3 days are the hardest and then TRUST me , it gets easier. Just do whatever you can to get through them first 3 days. I don't care about what anyone says, if you want to eat.. eat all you want on them first 3 days to get through. That extra 2 pounds you might gain is much better then the cigarettes you will save yourself from smoking the rest of your life. By the way I added mine up and it was over 65,000 I spent in my 25 year addiction. Thats enough to make you want to quit. Dont use nicotine replacements, you will just have to wean off them later and fight that addiction. Just take your last pack and soak them in water.
The easiest day to quit... Saturday. why, because if you wait til a routine day like a Monday , you will be wanting to reach for that smoke with AM coffee, at lunch breaks, drive to work etc. Saturday is the best day and then break up your weekend with something new and different.
I couldn't talk on the phone for a week when I QUIT. I told everyone nicely also. Because like Pavlov's dog.. the phone rang, I lit up. Don't be afraid to tell people this, they should be supportive.
So, by Day 5, you will be breathing easier and your cravings will go from 5 a day.. down to about 2 by day 5. Yes trust me and they do NOT last that long. When you get one, breathe. get some sugar free gum ( not too much sugar free gum or your time will be spent on the can all day, not fun ).
You can do this.. you owe it to yourself to do this. and with all the money you save, go buy yourself something fun.
Thank you for the list of symptoms that can occur when giving up smoking. I have gone nine weeks now without a cigarette, but feel dangerously close to giving up on giving up - again! It's all this weight I have put on. Six kilos. I don't know how to stop overeating when I give up smoking. Great! If I stop giving up, I'll be obese - and a smoker again! I know if it wasn't the weight thing, I could cope giving up.
Hi Lela, I just came across your site after researching the side effects to quitting smoking. It's 2 am (insomnia!). I quit cold turkey 5 days ago. I knew I would have side effects, I knew it's considered more difficult. But, after 4 attempts to quit, 25 lbs added to my frame, and every stressor in my life magnified, I decided I WILL quit! NOW! I was so tired of it, the excuses why I couldn't quit, because of the stress, the weight gain, the habit, the boredom, etc. Then I realized...I have all those things and I AM SMOKING!! Quitting wont bring them on and smoking won't make them go away! I know this time I am going to do it, and this is because in the past 4 days, I lost a very dear friend suddenly (36 yrs old), my homelife has been extremely stressful, and my best friend of 31 years just left on a 3 year tour of Germany, leaving me pretty much "alone". And through all this, my urge to use smoking as a stress relief is NOT THERE. Something in my mind just clicked. And really I am not having any symptoms other than insomnia. Im actually LESS moody. In fact, I'm pretty calm! What I do find most interesting is that I have an ongoing battle in my mind. I have no interest in smoking, but my brain is actually arguing with me to smoke! Literally, it tells me to go outside, to smoke before bed, that I can smoke just sometimes, or "healthier" cigarettes. My rational brain thinks its ludicrous and tells my addicted brain so, but it still shocks me how real that little voice in my head is! Anyway, I just wanted to say, after 9 years of steady 1-2 packs a day smoking, I am going to be smoke free. Reading your site has definitely been the most informative, and I will refer back to it for reassurance if any new symptoms present themselves. Thank you!
DMac
Wow I don't know where to begin. Like I say in everything on this hub, cold turkey is the most difficult way to stop smoking.
Drugs like the nicotine gum and the patch only address one tiny aspect of the habit.
Lela
Hi. I quit cold turkey 28 days ago. After watching my dad die from smoking and what my mom is going through now as she also smokes scared this 20+ year smoker into quiting. I think cold turkey is the way to go (again, it is my thought and it works for me) as I've heard of many getting addicted to the meds, even the o.c.t. and natural aids. If you have never purchased a package of nicotine gum, you have no idea how expensive they are! To help my quiting, I focused on one thing that I hated the most about it and that is the smell. I obsessed about it, only smoked outside, washed my hands constantly, took showers and brushed my teeth before greeting my wife. Never smoked at home (wife) nor in my cars (investments that smoking diminished value). I picked a friday before I went on vacation as my target date and stuck with it. I had to shake 'rituals' which was the hardest (so far) part. Rituals such as rushing out at lunch to pound down smokes, stopping at certain places on my way home or to work to smoke.... I will agree with the getting tired and drinking a ton of water (64+ oz per day). I chew Dentine ICE Artic Chill and eat Lifesaver Mints after lunch to help my urges (I guess brushing my teeth after lunch would have the same effect). I DID buy Nicotine gum for EMERGENCIES ONLY. I still have a pack in the desk of my office that I have not a peice yet, it is just reassuring that I have a life line near by.
And when I DO have my urges... which I've heard of 8 yr old NON smokers still do... I tell myself to give it up... your not getting one... and fight it. I know it sounds very simple and stupid... But I figure if alcoholics, herion addicts and coke heads can give it up... I sure as heck can!
Hi Sherard,
Cold turkey is never what I recommend to stop smoking because of this very thing. A lot of anxiety and it almost feels like you are loosing your breath or your heart is palpitating.
These are temporary and will go away.You could ask the Doctor for something for the anxiety and just take enough to get you through.
Hyland has an over the counter herbal med for anxiety.
Maybe you are learning about some of this in medical school too.
Main thing is to stop dwelling on it. what you think about expands.
I really think this is normal and you are going to be fine.
I do teach a class called Nicotine Solutions that has you smoke as you go through the program that gives more preparation to be more of a long term non-smoker and it take the anxiety and all the symptoms that you are feeling down to almost nothing.
These feelings and symptoms should be temporary.
Hi Lela I am 19 years old, i have been smoking for a year now and i have quit aout 5 days ago cold turkey. i do feel alot of the symptoms and the anxiety. Right now i am in medical school and little things make me think about the worst of things that can happen like stroke or heart attack. I wanted to ask what can i do to cope with the panic attack and anxiety, this is what i feel the most and i feel my heart more than ever aswell beating. I went to the hospital and took an EKG and the doctor said i was fine but i still get worried something was missed. I know i am not special and anything can happen to me but i want to know if thhngs like this is normal and if so how to over come it? I do feel like i am dying, i feel my body is going to give out on me and i know i need some help so please if you can just send me some info i would greatly appreciate it.
Dear Naryanti, Its been 8 months now since i QUIT. U are gettin there. I wen thru the similar ordeals. U have already WON. Keep goin and DONT look back to the bad 'ol days. I am proud of ya.
Dear Naryanti, Its been 8 months now since i QUIT. U are gettin there. I wen thru the similar ordeals. U have already WON. Keep goin and DONT look back to the bad 'ol days. I am proud of ya.
I have not smoked for 3-4 weeks now.. I don't recall the day i quit cause my head is not clear... But what ever the day was I been dealing crazy side effects.. all the ones you talk about.. i did quit cold turkey... And for along time I feel like there is something wrong with me because they don't tell you about all this .. they just say quit smoking it's better for you.. Well I did.. I don't know sometime i just want to cry.. there that much pain.. But I came this far and deal with alot already..The only is to move forword, right... Just wish i could know the time line on this side effects to be over.. Right now am so worry about my health like there always something wrong with me everyday.. it's one after one more.. like my new one my feet has a hot spot.... Can that mean bad circulation on my leg to do that.. I don't know.. i don't want to go to the dr cus I been there for these other thing like chest pain and so on.. It add up at the end... Now am just going on and on like a crazy person.. but I thank you for puting this up.. I think it help people understand that there is side effect and so they can be ready to deal with it not crep up on them...Thank you..
Gary,
Glad it helped
Lela
I am not counting days but it has been over two weeks cold turkey. Just read the information on your site it is going to be very helpful. I have read a lot of the messages and comments above, I am feeling many of the same side effects of quitting. I feel i am more informed and will be better prepaired for what is in store. To everyone good luck we can do it.
Hi Renee,
This is going to sound strange to you but in the Nicotine Solutions program you would smoke for the first 6 weeks but you would really be changing all your behaviors around.
6 weeks more of smoking is not going to make that much difference if you can quit for good and not have to go through those terrible cold turkey side effects.
The main thing is to quit forever and not go back to them after the baby is born which is what a lot of women do.
You want to be done with them and have as few side effects as possible.
Whatever you do don't quit with any drugs like Chantix or the patch because that is not recommended when you are pregnant.
you might want to go to http://www.nicotinesolutions.com and check out a free informational meeting.
Lela
What a great motivator to stop! Often the morning sickness turns you off cigs anyway. good luck!
What happens if u quit cold turkey because you are pregnant. Been trying for years to get pregnant and we are estatic! Don't want to mess this up!
Oh Vikrant,
I just don't know what to tell you. Maybe ask your doctor if they have a heavy duty acid relief medicine. It will go away.
Lela
I have experienced many of the symptoms you mention since quitting New Year's day 2010. Digestive problems, bloating, weight gain, itchiness and an increase in hormones. My period came back after having hot flashes last fall and no period for about 6 months.
Now my complexion is broken out. I am not sure if it's hormonal or from internal toxins. Any advice?
I stopped smoking cold turkey on August 17, 2009. I have been smoking since I was 19 and I am now 59. I have been so sick with chest colds, difficult breathing and weight gain.. in fact 25 lbs. I will never go back to smoking but there are times I miss it. I walk just about everyday, 4 miles but my legs and feet hurt. My legs feel like concrete. I feel I am retaining fluids because I feel very puffy. Up until a couple weeks ago my cough was so deep in my chest it would keep me up at night. Despite how I feel, I still am so happy and proud of myself. I just need to get this weight off now.
Thank you for your reply. I feel like fish bone is stuck inside the throat. It is paining a lot. Do I go thru any medical test. When I went to doctor he suggested that my nose bone is bit bend due acidity saliva is stucking in the throat. He suggested me breathing exercise and steam.
I am from India how can I buy DGL from Amazon or suggest me some other medicine.Is it curable or not ?
Vikrant,
This is exactly the reason that I do not recommend cold turkey. It has been 3 months and you are still suffering.
You can go to the middle of my hubpage or I have repeated it for you here.
Acid Indigestion/Heartburn - If you had acid indigestion before you quit, it will get a bit worse and then it will go away. If you never had heartburn this symptom can last for about 3 weeks to 3 months. Try Tums or DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice), which may help acid reflux too.
You can buy it on Amazon. the link is in the middle of this hubpage. Good luck with this It should eventually go away.
I think I would stick with anti acids. Maybe even a stronger anti acid that a Dr. can prescribe.
Not sure what good steam would do you????
Hope this helps
I quit smoking atleast 3 months ago.Now I am facing gastric,acidity problem and pain in my throat.I feel that there is somthing struck in side.Kindly advise what should I do,even I have been to ENT Doctor also but,problem is still same.I am taking regural steam as advised by doctor.
I quit cold turkey seven months ago. I felt nauseated and light-headed every single day for two weeks straight. One morning I woke up and those withdrawals had disappeared.
Seems to be how cold-turkey works. You're inundated (ambushed, really) with all kinds of nasty withdrawal symptoms that seem to slough off, one after another, as time passes.
If you can just tough it out for the month or so while they last, you literally wake up one morning free from all of them.
I'm not saying everyone should quit cold turkey, but I think anyone can.
Well Logan I guess to each his own. There are a lot of people that need help with quitting smoking and don't want to go through all of these horrible symptoms of cold turkey.
Lela
Hi: I wish I found this site 5 months ago when I quit. Nothing was ever mentioned about the suffering one can go thru quitting cold turkey. I've been thru it all and still battling. Now an upset stomach. I guess this is the closest I'll ever get to PMS thankfully. My suffering started 2weeks after I quit. One thing after another. All has been discussed on this highly informative site. Tests came back ok & dr brushes off associating these symptoms with quitting. Any help for those of us that have gone cold turkey. Will recommend this site to others. Thanks!
quit on your own you don't need anyone else
I need to stop now
"But I have the devil on my shoulder telling me to light up a cigarette so all this can go away. Any helpful tips?"
Tell the devil to go back to hell. That crankiness is your body trying to bully you into lighting up--at one point, I'd laugh at how my own brain would try to deceive me into having a cigarette. But I promise you, that will pass (I used to beat on my bed till I felt better).
Mind over matter. Look at the size of a cigarette compared to you. Surely, you're not gonna let yourself be pushed around by a little nicotine?? The stronger the craving, the more you're winning by refusing yourself.
Quit cold-turkey 6 months ago. I was deluged with withdrawal symptoms--the absolute pitts for about 3 weeks until I noticed that the withdrawals would vanish one after another with each passing day, until the first month, when most had left.
Sleeping still isn't quite comfortable, my fingertips and toes still tingle and pinch sometimes, and my throat becomes hoarse at night. The rest of the withdrawals have, well, withdrawn.
I decided to eat as little as possible so that I wouldn't gain weight and it worked. I haven't gained weight at all, so not gaining weight is, in fact, do-able when you quit. And quitting is do-able--if I can after 30 years, you can.
Just hang in there.
I had my last cigarette on Sunday, November 8th and I started to quit cold turkey. My boyfriend and I have been smoking for a while and I am having more trouble than he is. I have a hard time staying asleep at night and I am very tired in the morning and throughout the day. I really miss smoking...It's like I was in a relationship for almost 10 years and we just broke up. I have been chewing lots of gum and trying to keep myself busy by going to the gym. I go straight home sometimes just to sleep off the urges. I feel like crying all the time, I am very cranky, and my boyfriend and I have been doing a lot of bickering with each other. I keep thinking to myself, quitting is a good thing! But I have the devil on my shoulder telling me to light up a cigarette so all this can go away. Any helpful tips?
I am on day 3 of quitting COLD TURKEY and I am the most mad and sad and depressed and mostly ANGRY that I have ever been. The anxiety is immense and I have even accused my boyfriend of cheating on me, cause he took to long at the grocery store. I mean he is smoking, when he comes in I can smell it and makes me what it more. I am on the verge of insanity. GOING CRAZY HERE...
there is heaps of good info here !!! thanks soooo much :)
Hi Lela. I finally quit 2 months ago ( after 20 years of chain smoking) I sure do fill great.
I have actively re-commenced my favourite hobby - bodybuilding. I did and still am going thru some of the symthoms you mentioned above. I was afraid initially seeing blood every morning while brushing. But after reading your articles above, i have become stronger and starting to believe. I thank you and your team for your commitment to help others. God bless you all.
id also like to say your site was informative and comforting in a way that knowing what ive been going through, as far as withdrawel symptoms, will go away, and i dont want to experience this again, i have felt so bad lately thought i had the swine flu, im feeling much better now, having had more time off of work, and recovering from my illness, including throat irritation,and breathing difficulty, sinus problems, along with tiredness, cramping,
glad to know that my body was reacting in such a way caused from cigarette withdrawel, not necessarily nicotine as it is out of your body in three days, CIGARETTES ARE A MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ADDICTION.
i quit smoking, now it seems to be hard when im exposed to second hand smoke, it seems that i withdrawel and want to smoke. I think thats the worst part, it was easy for me to avoid smoking for the first couple of days being somewhere i would not smoke, with my dad, for the weekend, after that my desire to quit smoking was to better my health, i felt some of the warning signs of cancer, one of which were symptoms of a common cold, throat and sinus irritation, flem coming up when speaking to another person, (quite embarrassing, disgusting), tired of bad breath, even smelling like cigarette smoke bothered me. its still hard to avoid people that are smoking, i just try to remember that it is the most difficult thing i could ever do, it does take time, the worst may not be behind me but the hardest step is taking the first step, and that is ridding your body of nicotine. wish me luck, a smoker for 19 years, since i was 14, and smoke free for two weeks now.
Hello..... great hub here... I am currently quitting smoking... have not smoked in a week, and I have been having the worst stomach pains and cough i have ever had. I feel sick all the time, but I'm trying not to give in.
Thanks for stopping by Kirstenblog! I hope you check out my preview class called Nicotine Solutions. Lela
I really enjoyed this page! I even read it all the way down to the end! I think maybe I should get my hubby to read it. We had a heck of a time trying to quit and winded up substituting tobacco for nicotine free ciggys, ginseng ones. Of course for my case I was really not ready to quit and was doing it for him, he didn't have the same problems and was not very supportive in the end and yes I have smoked proper ciggys to spite him as it was never an internal thing. I keep thinking about how to internalize the desire to quit and recently woke up in tears feeling a connection between smoking and my dad. As a kid I was removed from the home as there were loads of court problems regarding custody of me and with my step mom drinking and abuse he lost all legal rights to me. My dad has been a very heavy smoker all his life, right from an early age. I think there might be a feeling of loss when I try not to smoke that is inter connected with the loss of my dad.
Sadly my dad suffered a collapsed lung over a year ago and spent months in hospital, he had scars on his lungs that we at first worried might be cancer that they couldn't test until he recovered from the lung collapse. He was adamant that he would never smoke again...... My aunt (his sister) recently told me he is back on the ciggys! It is amazing how strong this addiction is!
Re-read and realized I was rather more rude than I intended.
Valuable site with good information about what people may expect to experience.
I encounter often that people believe they have "the" way and tend to discount other approaches, which work for many many people.
I'm sure your approach helps many.
Hi Mark,
Thank you for visiting my hub Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you with your stop smoking adventures!
Interesting site but I think your perception about the in-value of the patch is not accurate. Well, we all have our fixed perceptions that we rarely see beyond.
I quit with the patches and would not have been able to otherwise. I don't really see it as cold turkey because I very consciously weened myself into lower and lower dosages until I finally could go without the patch altogether.
It actually provided me the time to change the habits, which you mention is the key to quitting without problem. On the patch, the hand to mouth habit faded, had a chance to deal with emotional impulses, exercised, etc.
So I think your comments about the patch come from your limited box, what we believe and see is what becomes true for us.
Good article - I just quit cold turkey 20 days ago. I am hoping to be less of a bastard by the time a month is done. LOL
Very well written hub .....
very much informative ......
Thank you very much for your great hub, for good advice, good wishes and support. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us.
Conversational hypnosis is an excellent method to cure the ailments present in the subconscious mind.conversational hypnosis is good a treatment as it has no side effects. Learned a lot from this blog. It is a nice blog.
David,
Thanks for stopping by.. let me know if I can assist you.
Lela
Lela, my wife decided that we were going to quit smoking. The habit was getting too expensive. Both our parents are cancer survivors. It's now day three without a cigarette. It's been really tough thus far. I'm glad I found the hub and all it's useful advice.
David - Winchester, KY
Oh Diane,
That is horrible that you are still going through the side effects. It doesn't have to be that way. It can be calm and comfortable!
Join me for a free preview http://www.nicotinesolutions.com
just happened to find this site....great stuff...quit 6 weeks ago...side effects are still terrible....no energy...sleep allot...anyways i will keep reading and may join for reinforcements.
Dawn,
I am glad that you stopped by too! Stopping smoking with an herbal supplement is a little like saying that I am Just going to practice parallel parking to pass my drivers test and that is it.
Instead there are many things you need to do to pass a drivers test, you need to practice driving on all types of roads, you need to read the entire manual with all the rules etc. So just taking an herbal supplement doesnt address the multifaceted nature of the smoking habit.
Smoking has got you every way you turn such as emotionally, physically, psychologically and especially with your routines!
I noticed that you signed up for a free preview so I will be able to explain everything to you at the meeting!
Don't beat yourself up about going back to smoking. This you can quit in a more informed that is permanent and it doesnt have to hurt with all those side effects. Most of things are an effect of cold turkey and Nicotine Solutions is not cold turkey. Can't wait to talk to you today!
Lela
I am glad I found this page. I tried quitting on an herbal supplement and it worked for about 1.5 months. My side effects were really terrible - head ache, nasal congestion, joint pain, trouble sleeping, weight gain, etc. - I felt so horrible, so I decided to smoke again (hair of the dog and all that) and I am disappointed in myself. I will try again, keeping in mind all that you mentioned here. Wish me luck!
Thanks for stopping by JaCee and Van Oung
I've smoked since I was 19 and I'm 31 now... It's been 4 days since I quited cold turkey and I hope I succeed going forward. The side effects isn't bad as I constantly fall asleep when I get dizzy. So no insomnia here! I've gained about 5 lbs of water weight over the past week and I exercise often so I really can't see the mass but the scale don't lie! I have convince myself that smoking is dirty and I can't see myself going back to it! Nicotine is the demon of the addiction and it will be wrong to smoke again. With all the repercussions of quitting, I cannot put my body through this hell again by continuing to smoke! This is an excellent hub as it helps me cope with quitting.
Great hub. This has been very helpful for me since my doctor told me I had no choice, I had to quit. I am using some of your tips and so far so good. Thanks!
Nice hub.
This hub has a lot of good information in it but I'm probably biased but you really can't consider hypnosis or acupuncture as cold turkey as you mentioned when you started out. But I'd love to hear your reason's for including them in this category.
What an awesome resource! Once someone has worked to overcome the physical and psychological addiction to smoking, they can also use help to address the side effects of the body detoxifying. Thank you for creating such a thorough encyclopedia of symptoms and treatments.
Hi Jo,
Send me your email and phone number and I will call you and we can talk. I am happy to help
Lela
I've smoked since i was 14 (I'm now 31). I quit smoking 2 weeks ago. I've tried to quit several times before and have failed miserably within days, even hours sometimes. For me it has always been the case that i was waiting for something to happen... waiting to become a non-smoker, waiting for the cravings to go away, even sometimes waiting for a time that it would be ok (or safe) to have a cigarette!! I know, sounds weired but that's how it was. I put it down to this. On previous attempts to quit i felt like i was a smoker not smoking - denying myself. This time around i felt like a non-smoker instantly. I want to be a non-smoker and i don't want to smoke any more. It's such an amazing shift in consciousness and i don't know why i never got it before or felt that way before. I'm already a non-smoker and there's nothing to wait for, just the rest of my life to be getting on with. And i tell you, there is so much more i am doing with my time now that i'm not smoking, or thinking about the next time i can smoke!! I've had a few wobbly days so far but it's about getting through what's happening to my body and not about the fact that i want to smoke - i don't!! The shift happened for me when i got ill about a month ago. I got a disgusting cold, which turned into a chest infection like i had never experinced before. I got a double strength dose of antibiotics from my doctor, which is unusal for me as i hardly ever have to take medication for anything. I could hardly breathe and yet i was still smoking! One day on the way home from work i was smoking and wheezing and coughing. I stopped at the traffic lights, looked at myself in the mirror and said, enough is enough - this is going to kill you and if you don't give up now this is how you will be at 50 or 60 and no course of antibiotics will shift it, you'll be stuck like this. it was my wake up call and exactly the impetus i needed to stop. I threw the half smoked cigarette out of the window and knew it would be my last and it was and it feels great. (This is the longest i have ever not smoked for) I' ve gone down the route of patches to wean myself off the nicotine as i've been a heavily addicted smoker for 17 years and felt i needed that support while i broke the habit, however, breaking the habit is not bothering me too much - i've found plenty of things to do with my time and enjoyed not having to smoke when i would usually. I'm even ok around friends who are still smoking - it's not making me want to smoke. However, i am experiencing a lot of the symptoms you describe above, especially sore gums, which has come on in the last couple of days. it's like an ache in my teeth and tingly stinging gums. I was pleased and relieved to read the info on your site and to find out it is normal, but also upset that it could take weeks to settle down. What's your best advice to cope with these symptoms? I am now a determined non smoker and i know i will never smoke again - my urge to not smoke is greater than my fear of being able to overcome the adjustments my body needs to make as it repairs itself although any help / tips / suggestions in dealing with these things would be great. I know your preferred method of quitting isn't the cold turkey route, but for me i had to do it this way because 2 weeks ago i couldn't breathe and i think if i had smoked another cigarette i would have given myself pneumonia or something!!... But I guess my question for you is, even though i have chosen this route, would you be able to help to deal with these symptoms i am experiencing and to work with me to deal with the mental and emotional aspect of becoming a non-smoker, even though i have already stopped smoking?
Sorry this is so epic
Sincerely
Jo
Great stuff , a little more less words,would have been easy ,for the eyes
Houseplus ! Thanks for stoppping by!
Absolutely Terrific, Love the content.
Bruce I am happy to help you any time with a hubpage. When I did my first hubpage people told me it would take about an hour...well 3 or 4 weeks later I finally finished it and it has been evolving ever since. I am actually very proud of it. Thanks for the complement
Lela
Lela,
This is great information. Thank you for compiling all of it and your insightful email.
Bruce Newman
Thank you so much for stopping by, John. I don't think you any other information like this on the internet!
Lela
I know several people that have tried to quit smoking and now I can understand what they are going through. It's amazing how powerful nicotine addition can be. Thanks for the great info.
You are welcome Felicia. Good for you
Lela
I am proud to say that I quit smoking 21 days ago! A group of friends from work decided to quit together and I am one of the ones who made it this time. I have decided to never ever smoke again and would like to thank you for the site, it really helps when dealing with the effects of quitting.
Thanks for stopping by Tom, Arthur and carpet
I recently quit smoking, cold turkey It has been 6 days so far. one thing that made me decide to quit was being in a happy mood. The other was people asking me "why do you smoke?" my answear was not valid, it was just some excuse. And a habit can be another answear, but Bad habits are for bad people. If you really care about yourself, you wont smoke, that also goes for other bad habits. Also the most true thing is You can't help people, they have to help themselves. ultiamately it's your choice. People might influence your choice. but you have to find peace, and happiness in yourself. Recently I met this girl, and she is putting butterflies in my stomach, so i decided to quit for her, but also myself. Since she didn't smoke, I thought it needed to be done. Plus I could tell she didn't like it. It is also a turn off for alot of non-smokers. but mainly smoking is bad, no arguments there. So if you like bad things, than smoke, if not stop fucking smoking. It's very easy, it's overcoming it mentally. Just like solving an overweight problem. Excercise daily, what's the big deal? you can't take 10-20 mins a day to excercise? but you can spend at least 60 mins a day watching tv. (probably more like 200+mins for most of you). Also Smoking influences young kids, it influenced me, my uncle smoked I thought he was the coolest guy ever, that's what made smoking cool/exceptable too me. It made it alright, well My uncle smokes so i can too. Btw Im 18 years old, I've been smoking since 15 very heavily. and before that a few once in a while. 15yrs - half a pack a day 16-17 ---1 pack a day, 17-18,1-3 packs a day really varried, parties 3packs, regualry days 2 usually, unless it was cold/rainy. So I'm not of a legal smoking age, I'm 100% as long as I have this girl with me I'll be smoke free. Also once I have kids quitting is a must.Sincerly Carpet91 (can't give my name I'm a minor) :(
Great article Lela. This is one of the most difficult habits to overcome. My wife has tried to stop several times and still continues today. She is gearing up once again to attempt to stop but is waiting until after her nephew's wedding. I use to myself but made a decision to stop 10 years ago "cold turkey" and have not had the desire or smoked since that time.
Great article! As a nonsmoker, it gave me great insight as to why it is difficlut to quite smoking. On the other hand, if one really wants to quit. All they have to do is apply themselves and make it happen. It is a decision to be made a follow through with it. Even if it takes a great deal of support from a freind, spouse, etc.
Greatest thing - it is possible!
Exercise is a great way and the only way to get more years added to your life before it is to late. The human body is amazing in how it can repair itself when taken care of.
Tom Varga
Jennifer! You get it! I love it when people get it!!
Lela
Deejaynyc,
You are so right knowledge is power! power to quit and be comfortable in your own body! Love your pretty smile!
Lela
Lela,
Excellent advice! There are places that list some of what happens to the body when you quit smoking, but your hub shows a thorough list of the body's changes and how to ease detox. The information isn't to scare off smokers -- or those supportive of smokers wanting to quit -- it's great to arm them with knowledge!!
Thanks for your hard work in helping people quit and in helping to save our planet! You're awesome!
Jennifer
I'm convinced that continuing to smoke THESE days is an affront to one's own self-esteem (whether acknowledged or not). Thank you for serving this information feast. Knowledge IS power.
Peace and Love,
DeeJay (djh:edbd)
Harry,
Thank you for looking over my info. Yes it is totally unique and one of a kind information!
Lela
Shane!!
Yes yes yes Send your parents to my sample lesson. I can help them quit. Ha! I am probably their age!
Lela
To The pioneer21,
I mainly created this hub so smokers could understand what was going on with their body when they stopped smoking with cold turkey. I am all about helping smokers stop smoking calmly and comfortably.
Cold turkey is not the way to go because of all of these side effects. Banning smoking would just make smokers and cigarettes go underground!
Thanks so much for your comments and support!
Lela
Boy, there is a ton of excellent information here. Very comprehensive and interesting. Even though I am not a smoker and have never been, there is definitely things here I am going to share with some friends that are in the hope that I can help influence them to quit!
What you are doing to both help the earth and people is awesome. YOU have amazing info here and have surely done your homework. Both my parents are smokers who have attempted to quit way too many times. I will print this out to share with them. Thank YOU!
~Expect Miracles
I love that you have provided this information for everyone. It is shocking to think what effect cigarettes have on your body, and that these side-effects actually happen because you stop taking in the rubbish that are in cigarettes. Even though this hub makes it sound horrific in the short term to actually quit, it highlights the shocking effects that smoking has on their bodies.
Smoking should be banned- its a frightening habit.
Hi Lela, rating and commenting!All the best. Joao
Liz, Thanks and I think you are doing a fabulous job with collaborationzone.com! Keep up the good work- Lela
John,
Thanks for stopping by!
Lela
Dknow225, thank you so much for all your support
Lela
Karen,
So many non-smoker are amazed at what smokers go through to stop smoking. Lela
Hey Patricia,
You have seen me help so many people quit smoking over the years..That is for sure!
Lela
Sian,
How fabulous to see you ...yes everything is positive and guilt free in my program
Lela
Amethyst! Thank you so much for your wonderful gift that you are going to contribute to any smoker that attends a free lesson!
Lela
Thanks for stopping by Dora!
Lela
Great job, Lela! I learned a lot and I've never been a smoker.
To quit smoking has to be the most difficult habit to break...it's awesome that you are providing this page so we all can be well informed.
Hello Lela,
This is such a good page I really love the things you are doing to help those who want to break the smoking habit. You are doing such good work and I am so happy you have created this place. Please keep up the good work. ddw.edbd
I am not a smoker, but this is an interesting and informative page!
Lela, this is a wonderful thing you are doing - so many people wish to quit smoking but have been unable to do so because they haven't had access to information and support.
Lela has been a friend of mine for many years and I have seen her successfully help thousands of people quit smoking with her program and stay non-smokers.
Patricia Wressell
Great Hub page Leyla.....Wonderful information.....and guiltfree.....most appreciated
Sian
The most beautiful thing that you can do for your soul is to honor the physical body within which it resides! Quitting smoking will not only make you feel healthier and more alive but it will send a RESOUNDING message to the Universe that you are Worthy - you might be surprised by the positive side effects to other areas of your life! Try it NOW in celebration of Earthday Birthday and you'll receive an added bonus from yours truly! Go Lela!
Peace and many blessings,
Amethyst Wyldfyre
Peter,
Thank you so much for your kind comments! It is very transforming work for me and my students
Lela
lqqb.edbd
Great Hub Lela ... lots of good supporting info ... you must feel great transforming so many people’s lives away from such a vociferous addiction... I managed to kick the habit about nine years ago now and still believe it is the one the best choices I have made in my life I wish I had this kind of support network back then. Health, energy and best wishes...
Peter Holmes ...pfh.edbd
Saving the Earth one click at a time !
Anne,
You were wondering about what it is like for people that stop smoking and feel like they are leaving the tribe when they quit smoking.
We teach them to look at smokers in a different way and not to lust after smokers. They can love the person but learn to pity the act of smoking.
Lela
DeeJay!
Wow you are the best! I am so excited to have you in my class! It will be so much fun to teach you how to stop smoking!
I enjoyed talking to you the other day!
Lela
Julianne, I would love for you to recommend your clients to my site! Lela
Carlos!
That is good that you loved the content
Lela
Hi Lela...great information about quitting smoking...I'm just curious. In Ireland smokers now go outside to smoke...so what thoughts/suggestions have you got for people who may feel as though they are "leaving the tribe" when they quit smoking? It's like smokers have their own little tribe....Best wishes
Anne agw.edbd
You certainly put yourself into your work, Lela! Your generousity and genuineness shine through in your willingness to provide truly stand-up help to eradicate smoking. It's such an awful time/body/life waster. See you in class the 21st
Peace and Love,
DeeJay (DJH.edbd)
Great site, full of helpful information. I have clients I would send here...
So many information. I've tryed all of them.The content is in my brain, thanks!
Jennifer,
I am so glad you liked it!
Lela
Very thorough hub on how to prepare for the body changes in its healing. Thank you for making all this information available.
Angela,
You are the reason that I created this site. I have learned this information having taught people to stop smoking over the last 30 years. Most doctors don't even know this information. If you have any questions just stop by and ask!
This stop smoking business takes a while.
Lela
Jennifer,
Wow yes cold turkey will do that to you . There is a better way. I you want a more comfortable way to stop join me for a free sample lesson. Check out nicotinesolutions.com and attend a free meeting. It might give you some more pointers on being able to feel more comfortable in the quitting process.
See how you do and if you want more help pop by for a free class
Lela
I am so glad I found this site. A lot of great information that I really needed at this moment. I quit 21 days ago and started feeling really bad. Even though my food and liquid intake was better what I did while I was smoking I was feeling bad. On this site I found out about what goes on in your body and why you feel the way you do! Thanks....it made me continue in my journey of quit smoking. I been a smoker for 30 something years.
I quit smoking 4 days ago. This has been the hardest thing i have ever done. I have had all the side effects. Started out with the dizziness, fatigue, and anxiety attacks. I was a heavy smoker for 11 - 12 years. Right at a Pack a day. some times more.
John,
I don't think you would actually die from stopping smoking going cold turkey although a lot of people feel like they are.
Again, I don't recommend stopping smoking by going cold turkey because it is so hard on the body and so abrupt of a change with your metabolism.
The main reason I don't recommend cold turkey is because people go through so much pain and discomfort they usually go back to smoking.
Many times when I talk to someone that quit smoking 20 years ago, they say they still want a cigarette and most of the time it turns out that they quit cold turkey and didn't do any preparation physically or emotionally to stop smoking and so they are still suffering 20 years later because they just quit smoking cold turkey and didn't give their body time to adjust when they originally stopped smoking.
In Nicotine Solutions we have you smoke as you learn to quit so your body adjusts to changes in your routines and metabolism.
Thanks for asking the question! if you want to go to my nicotine solutions site you an sign up for a free preview and I can get you started on some assignments that are a easy, fun and not cold turkey.
Lela
can i actually die from going cold turkey a friend said i could
Jeff!
Thanks for your comment about my hubs being informative about stopping smoking!
I tried to put as much information in it as possible!
Lela
This site is so informative , many stop smoking information sites dont tell you the things that your body does to recover and so makes the whole quitting process worse , when you know what your body is trying to do it makes it even easier to quit
Rob,
I am so happy that I had the answers for you that you couldn't find anywhere else about what happens when you stop smoking!
If you have any other questions just ask!! I probably have the answers!! (he he)
Lela
Hi,
Thanks for this content, it has answered quite a few questions I could not get answered elsewhere. I quit smoking cold turkey, with no helpers except will power 5 weeks ago after having smoked for nearly 15 years, and I have been going through more side effects than I ever imagined - bleeding gums, retaining water, weight gain, agitation, dizziness, sleeping disturbances, itchiness.
It has all made me more motivated to never smoke again as only now am I seeing how much this addiction affects the body.
I know it's going to be all worth it long-term, so I am giving myself time - but this article has certainly helped.
:)
Hi Doreen,
I actually don't recommend cold turkey or quitting without any preparation because of what you are going through right now. Quitting smoking abruptly is very jarring to the body and sometimes people never get over it.
The one thing that I can tell you is to take is Calms Forte which is mentioned above and it is a non-addictive sleep aid that is made from herbs.
Believe it or not when I quit smoking in 1978 at age 30, I got cold sweats, about 8 years later I lost quite a bit of weight and I got the same type of sweats and low and behold when I was 50 and went through menopause I had the exact same sweats.
What I know is there is a hormone change when someone stops smoking and when someone stops smoking cold turkey it is 10x worst because it is so abrupt on the body.
Your body is like a construction zone right now and your hormones are really being affected.
Another thing that won't hurt in this transition period that is mentioned above is Pro-gest Emerita by Transitions.It has no side effects and it can't hurt you and from what I have seen there is a hormone change when people stop smoking and a lowering of natural progesterone. (I am NOT talking about HRT or hormone replacement therapy or synthetics...horrible stuff ..If you want to get off of that read Dr Christiane Northrup's book ...Don't do that cold turkey either).
Put a little Pro-Gest cream~pea sized on at night on the fatty area of your body and also in the morning (you can get it at Amazon above). It will help with the night sweats and the sleeplessness.
It is geared for women in menopause but it will help with the symptoms of quitting smoking as well.
If you get those 2 products it should help you through the rough spots. Quitting smoking does involve a hormone change and I know you are a lady but I jokingly tell my male students that this is as close as they will come to PMS!!!
Lela
PS Hope this helps check in with me and let me know how you are doing.
hi i am on day 4 i quit using nothing have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep been waking up sweating will take any advice tya
Freda,
I am delighted that you found the hub helpful. I would like to offer a suggestion that is really going to help you in your quest to stay smoke free....
Words are very powerful. Instead of saying urge or craving say that you had a thought.
Using the word urge or craving in connection with stopping smoking will act as a trigger, but if you use I had a thought....the so what it was just a thought!!
It will really help!
Lela
Hi, loved this site, thank you for all the info. I quit smoking on Sunday night (4 days ago) and so far, so good! (Not using anything, no replacements, hypotherapy, nothing.) Been trying for YEARS. Whenever I get the fluttery, nervous feeling (the urge for a cigarette), I tell myself that it is just my body's EXCITEMENT for finally being cigarette-free. I smoked a pack a day for over 20 years. Handling this one craving at a time...
Misty,
You just stay with your own program and you each need to deal with it in your own way
So Lela, how do you stop yourself smoking if for instance your Husband has not quite managed to give up, even though you have. Isn't the temptation impossible to fight simply using willpower?
Misty,
There are ways to keep your friends AND quit smoking calmly and comfortably....
Lela
Thanks Lela, it looks really promising, and I am relieved to know that other smokers around me won't make it harder to give up, especially as I don't want to lose my very good 'smoker' friends. Thank you :)
Hi Mistyhorizon2003,
What great questions!
Nicotine Solutions has a 90% success rate of the people that complete the 8 week course (you get to smoke for the first 6 weeks whooo hoo) ..90% quit smoking and after a year there is still a 70% long term success rate.
If you have checked out any other programs most of them are right around 18 to 25 %. I get so upset when the so called experts (that have never smoked) say that smokers have to try quit at least 8 to 11 times before they can quit for good....whaaaat ?????
Why not get it right the first time! It is like paint by numbers... if you just follow the assignments I give you while you are smoking you WILL be successful. I have been teaching people to stop smoking ever since 1978 when I quit smoking 2 packs a day.
About being around other smokers you will learn a technique that will allow you to be around other smokers (even if they are your spouse) and not be triggered by the other smokers. Its like magic!
Also believe it or not you will not be triggered by other smokers but you will have compassion for other smokers as well. I don't like it when people quit smoking and then they are on their soapbox to get every body else to quit. You will have compassion for other smokers and chewers.
I would like to invite you to attend a free intro to check out nicotine Solutions and see if it is for you
http://www.nicotinesolutions.com
Thanks for your questions
Lela
Hi Lela,
I am seriously thinking about enrolling both my Husband and I in your program as looking at your site I am really impressed, and the testimonials are great. I do have a natural fear of failing again though, and it leaves me so very down when I slip up and start smoking again. It is also hard when your Husband smokes, as he usually weakens before I do and smokes, at which point I know there are cigarettes in the house (even if he has hidden them), and so I immediately find I have to have one.
The other problem we have is that our two best friends smoke, and we see them socially most weeks and don't want to stay away from them. It isn't as bad here in Guernsey as it used to be, because smoking is now banned in pubs and workplaces (which makes it easier to smoke less), but of course after alcohol our willpower goes down, and we end up going outside with them for a cigarette.
Do you think your program could get us around these concerns??
Thanks :)
Thanks Misha, I am sure we will manage in the end, I just wish it was now:)
Hi Lela, thanks for this, I received your email and have emailed you back :)
Misty
I can help you stop smoking ..how very silly of Quitline... I am going to contact you and I will set up a meeting over skype with you and your husband. You are 8 hours ahead of me we can work this out!!
I have taught thousands how to stop smoking....
lela
Cindy, you can't do anything - until *you**decide* to quit. As soon as you do, it just takes care of itself.
Give yourself some time to get ready and make that decision, don't torture yourself with ill-prepared attempts. :)
If I did it, you can, too :)
Help , I am struggling with giving up and it really scares me. I gave up for 6 months on Zyban, and about 2 months on Champix, but I am still smoking. Not sure what I can do next as my Husband and I have been expelled from Quitline for smoking for 6 months and there aren't any alternatives.
Hi Jeff,
You either need to wait a little longer through the symptoms or you can attend a free intro as I mentioned in my comments to GT!! No matter how you quit it is the best thing you can do for your body!!!
Lela
This site is really informative. I quit 2 weeks ago, and having some really bad cravings. Was thinking that I may have tumor or other issue from all the side effects that I'm having.
Guess I just need to wait it out a little longer. Thanks!
Excellent article, good for me, I am still into early days of my cessation period, quit only 5 days back and it is hell of a mental and physcial battle but i have managed to hold on by now and hope i will stay away. Tried everything from gradually cutting down or increasing the period between smokes, nothin helped, 9 long years of 15 Ciggs/day weighed down every time and then one night, i just threw everything into nearby lake and went cold turkey ..........
Not everybody get all symptoms though but I am getting few of them but one thing about the article is real true - WATER helps, anyone who wants to quit - gotto increase it to 3-4 lts a day .......
really it will help me...cause i am going to stop smokoing from today.
though i was thinking for 2years to quit
I'm 29 and will be turning 30 in september, i've been smoking for about 10 years and decided that i should be a non-smoker by 30. It's been 3 weeks now since i stopped smoking after reading allen carr's book. I was browsing the net and came across your website, it is really infromatiave and thorough and i'm going through some of the side-effects and it's great to know that they're a passing phase and i can look forward to feeling better at the end of it all.
great website and thank you for all the insight.
Hey Happy hour,
Thanks for stopping by wow you have got an amazing number of slipcovers. I will come back to you in a few weeks...Lela
Hey Texa-Tutor I am glad you brought up the patch!
Quitting with the patch is like me saying that I am going to quit drinking white wine...but what I will do is go on a Vodka drip!! ha! Do you think I would ever quit drinking.....nooooooo.....
Going on the patch to quit smoking is just getting the nicotine from a different delivery system!
I am glad that you were finally able to quit but how sad that you had to experience a lot of these symptoms of cold turkey (because that is what the patch is) and have to try 5 times!! whewww....
Like you said, I could have helped you avoid a lot of those cold turkey side effects.
Thanks for stopping by,
Lela
I quit smoking several years ago after about 5 unsuccessful attempts using the patch. I would quit for a few weeks and then slip back into the habit. Something finally clicked and I was able to quit for good. I guess its been around 8 years now.
I had many of the problems that you mentioned, and wish I would have had access to information you have presented here, it would have made things much easier.
Good job!
Thanks Seige44,
I love the funny faces too!! Send any smokers my way!
Lela
Excellent article, Smokers take note - I love the funny faces and grimacies. Although I never physically smoked, I inhaled lots of second hand smoke over the years in the workplace. You're doing a great community service by publishing this Hub. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Affiliateprograms!
It is always nice to know more about affiliate programs! If you know of any smokers that would like to quit calmly and comfortably ....send them my way ...quitting doesn't have to hurt or be painful
Lela
Hey, thanks for the quit smoking tips, and some great looking programs too! Cheers!
Hypnosis-review,
Thanks for making a comment! I looked at your hub page and I never thought about using hypnosis for sales!! interesting!
Lela
Obviously a tough thing to do - but so worth it! Great information.
Marg!
Great insight!! You get it!!
Lela
The hub would be a great help to anyone wanting to quit you have covered everything.
Conversational Hypnosis is just a name for a program, to assist with life skills, coping with people etc. It's all related - a tool to bring about a positive outcome - just like you say it can assist with smoking too.
I like the bit about "giving up" smoking. I can relate that to "losing" weight - one should think of "getting rid" of there as well.
Hi Marg,
Not everyone gets a lot of symptoms, but I'm sure most smokers quitting experience a few of these. It sure doesn't have to be painful when you quit!
I looked at your hub and learned a new term.....conversational hypnosis... that is a new one for me.
Lela
Great in depth hub. Gosh I too did not realise how many problems people can have with giving up smoking. I gave up 24 years ago and was lucky I guess. I remember one night three months after giving up I was at a party and just HAD to have one. It made me so giddy and nauseous I couldn't decide whether to sit it out or bring it up. Yuk!!! LOL . So.... I was right after that.
Hi Ealindq!
Thank you for your comments! I am glad you enjoyed the hubpage!
Lela
Hi Mstroy!
Thank you so much for looking over my Hubpage and really "getting" my information! Yes it does take more than a pill to really quit smoking!!
Do tell your friends!
Lela
Lela,
Thanks for taking this important task on, helping people stop smoking. I hope all the people out there who decide they want to quit will check out your program. It seems to me that quitting smoking would be really tough both physically and psychologically. It's clear from your hubsite that you consider many factors and that's why your program will be so successful.
T
This hub is great and is filled with very useful information! I think that you've addressed every side effect that someone might experience while they're trying to quit smoking. What's surprising, and what I did not realize, is that there are so many side emotional, psychological and physical effects. I’m convinced that it’s unlikely that medication will do the trick to quit smoking. I think that it will take old fashion hard work. Thanks for sharing this information and I will send your hub to friends and family who are trying to kick the habit.
Thanks Chantel!
I love you hub on crafts ....My mom and I did some amazing Christmas cards over the years.... I sure do miss her.... Your hub reminds me of how much fun we used to have crafting... I am going to get back into it.... thanks for reminding me!!
Lela
What an excellent informative hub, wow I didn't about all this stuff, will pass this on to family. Thanks!
Thanks Carla!
I know the student you are talking about that just went through my Nicotine Solutions class.
Nicotine Solutions is recommended in the Book called Natural Therapies for Emphysema & COPD. She was on a blog about early stages of COPD and another student that quit smoking with Nicotine Solutions recommended my program on that blog.
Everyone of my classes are very small (no more than 9 people) and tailored to the students.... so I get to know all my students very well!!!
Lela,
Hey! I have a friend that went through your program (I really think think it was you, NicotineSolutions is who she quit with) and she is a happy non-smoker now. She had the beginning stages of COPD and was desperate to find solutions. (You may or may not remember her.) She found you through a COPD website that recommended your program.
She has had fantastic results! I am so glad I found you to thank you for giving her the tools to reclaim her health, and her new found freedom (now she isn't sneaking around as a closet smoker anymore! Yay!). Your program is so comprehensive! I am grateful for all that you are doing to help smokers. Thanks for being out there!!! SO glad you are on HubPages!
This is an incredibly comprehensive hub! Wow, I never knew that there were so many side effects when a person tries to quit! No wonder my friends who smoke don't want to quit. ALthough, I think they are using it to cope with stress and it feels overwhelming to think of letting go of the comfort of that "friend" and still deal with life. SO glad you are out there!
Thanks for your comment, Misha
Lela
Quite a comprehensive info :) To be honest, I don't remember. I quit a couple of years ago after 35 plus years of mostly heavy smoking - at least a pack a day. Without any helpers.
I was having hard time for the first week or so physically, and for another probably month mentally - and that's it. My wife still smokes...
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Fiona,
Yes nicotine is only in the body for 3 days you are right.
Nicotine is really only about 3% of the problem. The rest is behaviors, routines, detoxification, learning how to deal with stress and emotions, how to complete things.
It take 21 days to change a habit!
I knew I was experiencing some weird side effects when I'd stopped smoking before but anyone I spoke to about them thought it was me that was a weird hypochondriac(even the NHS quit support team).
This time - hopefully the last time, I found myself wavering after two weeks of no smoking but this page has been incredibly helpful and my resolve is back. THANK YOU!!
Im 43 and have been smoking since I was 18. Tried to quit with patches and gum and now trying cold turkey on my first day. I have atrialflibberation and noticing chest discomfort. Im pretty active at work so im trying to stay busy. Just so hard.
I'm quitting after 20 years of smoking because of the awful taste of the new Fire Safe cigarettes. I have been getting sick ever since introducing FSC's to my body. Anyway... I threw away the carton, ashtrays, and lighters in the house. Still have a secret pack and lighter in the car. Will dispose of those tomorrow. Roommate and cooworker smokes, so it will be a challenge to resist their attempts at sabotage.
Hi helpless,
I will be happy to write back email me at easeout(at) nicotinesolutions.com
I will be happy to talk with you about your symptoms
two nights of fever and swollen lymph node in back of neck, (just had dental issues) I am a mess...i need some sanity. can you write back?
i am trying and i got the gum, now i get headaches and even fever..why?
Great work! As a new quitter it answered a lot of questions I was beginning to have. Keep up the good work friend! :D
I need to quit and i have anxiety and mild asthma, I have been smoking since I was a teen and now 30. Because of my anxiety I have tried but can't even make it through the first day and then I get mad at myself, and I seem trigger anxiety. I really need help, I just think if i could make it through the first day I think I could do well. I came to your page and have been looking at it, because it will help with the anxiety for the symptoms of quitting. Any advice on getting through the first day. Mornings are the worst for me.
Great site, very interesting facts, saving to favourites. I gave up cold turkey 17/4/10 and slipped a few times first weeks but almost 2wks no ciggies end of this week. I don't have a problem with wanting a smoke as I don't want one BUT the symptoms of tiredness, brain fatigue and being snappy are making me snappy!!hehe
How long before I am me again?? I was feeling alone with how I feel, so this site has made me more comfortable that I am ok, there is a reason behind the way I am feeling and not going crazy. (hopefully this is all temporary?)
wow
Pab,
The fact that you have not told me if you have been feeling poorly or had other symptoms since Dec 18 when you stopped smoking leads me to believe that you need to go to the Dr. to see what the pains are about. It doesn't sound like it is from stopping smoking
Lela
I stopped smoking last Dec. 18, 2009. I smoked for like 30 years. I stopped like slowly for I was coughing big time. So cigarette was not pleasant for I would right away suffered coughing. SO what I did was slowly I did stopped. I smoked like ten sticks a day and during that time the last day I had like three, then completely I stopped. I am happy I did. I feel fresh and my mind, throught and my mouth are clearer.
But since three days ago I expereince a pain on my back, then on my side then last night I woke up with extremely terrible pain in my stomach. I was about to drive myself to the emergency room. But I kept it for a while and after few hours it stopped. But I am so worried and don't know what is this. Never that this type of a pain happened to me, so I attribute it to my quitting smoking. Could you guys give me some hint, enlightenment what is this? Please....
Quitting cold turkey can be much like an alcoholic stopping drinking. My friend literally went into shock and fainted a few times! Just passed out cold! Must be careful! Nice hub.
Daniel
Joyce,
I have an idea for you to check out. Since you did gain some weight in the process of quitting you may have plantar fasciitis. If it feels like you are walking on concrete and your heel hurts go to your doctor and see if that is what you have. It would be from weight gain.
I recommend Brent Abel from http://www.webtennis.net
He has a non medical approach that will help the pain go away. The pain in your foot is unrelated to stopping smoking except for the fact of the weight gain.
For the puffyness drink lots of water, cut out salt for a while.
Lela
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Shay,
Usually itching is from increased circulation. It almost feels like a rash and it usually happens on the the legs and arms.
Could you tell me more about the twitching on the lips. I dont know if that is something that is related to quitting smoking until you could describe it more fully.
Shay,
Usually itching is from increased circulation. It almost feels like a rash and it usually happens on the the legs and arms.
Could you tell me more about the twitching on the lips. I don't know if that is something that is related to quitting smoking until you could describe it more fully.
I'm tryin my beat not to smoke been a smoker for 2yrs and 3days is as far as I am now I'm itching my lips are twitching and my body is changing moody not so hungry and I have more energy is tha twitching supposed to happen???
Bunny Bond,
That feeling of not being able to take a deep enough breath or being breathless after you stop smoking is caused by you just breathing deeper than you have done as a smoker for a very long time.
It takes time for your body to go into natural mode and eventually you will come out of it and be able to deep breathe normally.
It does seem counter intuitive that when you quit smoking you should be able to breath deeper. One other thing is that you used to do your deep breathing with smoke and now you have to switch that to deep breathing with oxygen!
Bunny Bond,
That feeling of not being able to take a deep enough breath or being breathless after you stop smoking is caused by you just breathing deeper than you have done as a smoker for a very long time.
It takes time for your body to go into natural mode and eventually you will come out of it and be able to deep breathe normally.
It does seem counter intuitive that when you quit smoking you should be able to breath deeper. One other thing is that you used to do your deep breathing with smoke and now you have to switch that to deep breathing with oxygen!
i quit smoking 6 mos ago cold turkey now i have a hard time breathing some times it wakes me up i cant take real deep breaths what can i do to help it?
I quit smoking 7 months ago, cold turkey. I thought I would feel better if I did. I am 60 years old and smoked for 40 over years. I feel like crap. Nightmares, tired all the time, for some reason I started swelling in my face, hands and legs,after I quit. I felt so bad I started getting no exercise at all. Now I can barely walk around the house. If I thought going back to smoking would make this all go away, I would start back today. This is all due to stopping smoking or I am dying one...that is how bad it is.
Thanks a lot for all this information.
I have a simple but quite intriguing question, which answer I do know a priori, so bear with me...
Is it SAFE to quit smoking? And do not laugh at it, I have heard the contrary many times...
OK, you'll now say "yeah, that's what weak people say to give themselves freedom to smoke" etc., etc. But really, many people is convinced that they have relatives who fell seriously sick (normally with cancer) when they quit smoking.
You might now say "no, they developed the cancer because they _were_ smoking not because the quit smoking". Fine. But the case I have at hand now is unfortunately real: three identical twins ("the bolds" we call them :-)). All of them used to smoke. One quit around six or seven years ago. The other two continue smoking today...while the third (who quit) is unfortunately in his last days of life, from a lung cancer...
I have quit smoking recently. I have done other times. I am now feeling really unsecure, and would appreciate any word of courage that to quit smoking IS SAFE, and will not increase my probabilities of developing cancer....
Does this make any sense to you?
Thanks, and regards from Spain.
Cheers,
P.
what happened when i quit smoking suddenly???????
Thank you so much for this posting! It's the most thorough one I've read so far. I started smoking to cope with an abusive boyfriend and never stopped! Now, 4 years later, I'm ready to quit! :)
Today at 2pm will mark my 24th hour without a cigarette and I hurt. I weaned myself down from over a pack, to half a pack and then I smoked one less everyday until yesterday. I smoked 2 and it made me nauseous so I quit at 2pm. I didn't sleep last night, I'm shaky, I'm in full blown panic attack mode. My chest hurts, I'm nauseous, my throat hurts really bad and basically my whole body aches but it will be worth it in the end. I quit for a month last year and forgot how bad the withdrawals were. I will not be doing this again. I swear this is the worst withdrawals I've had in the 5 times I've quit. This is it. I feel so bad, I'll never pick them back up again. I am making a journal of how bad it is this time around just in case I turn around one day and want to start smoking again. lol
Chantix or Champix as its also known helped me quit after 15 years of smoking. I have not had a smoke in 5 months now.
The drug did make me dream a bit more and also took away the desire to smoke. You just need to hang onto the new contrast added to your life when your not smoking.
I still have dreams where i am smoking...even in my dreams i going "wtf am i doing??"
Good Luck every1
I gave up almost a month ago... my real problem is that it feels TOO EASY. I dream I have smoked but have not done it. If I found it this easy I'm afraid I'm going to do it again, though I don't want to.
By NOT recommending cold turkey (which actually means taking NOTHING) people will have a hard time quitting the quitting aids. I quit 1 month and 3 days ago cold turkey and it is THE best way to do it.
It takes 3 DAYS to have nicotine completely out of your system ..... 72 hours and that is why the first 3 days are the hardest.
I think that if after a month you still miss or want nicotine then maybe you didnt quit for the right reasons as by then the rollercoaster ride should be smoother than the first couple of weeks.
30-40 per day for 20 year smoker -
I quit 4 days ago with Champix. Day 1 was an absolute nightmare but it's getting increasingly better.
Side effects have been lethargy and headache - so definitely a lot better off than some of you. Also hungry! It's the whole 'hand to mouth' psychology
The only thing I am REALLY battling with is the psychology behind it all. I keep trying to convince myself why I should have one. (At the moment it's because I know I can give up, so could just have one!) The devil is sitting on my shoulder!!
Good luck all - keep it up
Well, i ran out of smokes a few hours ago. I am going cold turkey. Wish me luck! I saw this site a few days ago and LOVED reading others' posts, really gave me inspiration! So glad i found it again, AND WILL BOOKMARK IT!
Today is day 2 for me and I feel like I want to die!!! My throat hurts so bad, I'm coughing up black stuff, headaches.....I just want to got to bed and sleep until it all goes away!! I know this is all normal but OMGoodness is it hard!! I will stick with it though and I WILL be a non-smoker!!
I chose laser therapy. I had tried hypnosis, the patch 3 X and Zyban 2X. Stress is my downfall. However all that changed 6 days ago. I have not cheated and am starting to feel like this is the one that worked! After you get past the feelings of not knowing what to do with yourself, panicking because you don't think you can drive your car without smoking or you want to tear someone's head off (really), you feel calm. I smoked for 45 years since I was a teen and never thought it would ever end. The secret weapon is the detox process that goes with it. I have read some of the side effects of Nicotine withdrawal and they are so accurate. The one I feel the most is that there is just too much oxygen around me--too weird! I have a lot of stressors both family and work related and I actually was able to not cave in and light up; I actually found an unopened, new pack of smokes when packing an overnight bag on day 2 and was able to easily throw them into the burn drum outside! Detox: Orange or pineapple juice with 1 tsp of cream of tartar at bedtime for a week. 200-800 mg of Magnesium every day for 1 month (calms the central nervous system) 1000-2000 mg of Vit C per day for a month. This helps with cell regrowth and healing. Really works! Still have insomnia (work midnights too), hoarseness, restlessness but getting better. Remember you can't use nicotine replacement with laser because it essentially tells the brain you are a non smoker. Having 1 puff or using nicotine substitutes undo the effects
Good luck every one!
ok gonna get with the programme! I'm gonna set up a giving up smoking blog page about my giving up smoking on Hub Pages today! will post link in a bit
iv been stoped just over 6 months i went cold turkey i have for the past month realy bad acid reflux heartburn iv had all the side efects the first 3-4 weeks i found it easy because i new deep down i wanted to stop i know this may sound silly but i brainwashed myself into thinking the first 3 weeks was realy 3 months and that it would be silly to start again after all that time but it worked for me.....glad iv stoped i should have done this years ago i started at 15 im now 46 so its had a hold of me for 30years.now im in control i cant stand the smell of smoke now it chokes me.but know one tells you the truth about all the body changes when stoped i now have put wight on and look older and iv now got middle age spread after being skinny all my life this is the first time in my life iv been able to put waight on and my family and friends say i look alot better for it.
Lacey,
This is going to sound strange but in some way your mind set when you stop smoking when you are pregnant is to go back to smoking once you have the baby. When you stop smoking for good somehow your body knows and your brain send a signal that this is for good and we better do some clean up work around here! (I told you it was going to sound strange)
I have been teaching people to stop smoking since 1978 and this is just what happens. Of course I don't teach a cold turkey method so what my students go through is very mild to quitting cold turkey!
Hi Lela :) I'm 34 and smoked for 15 years. However,I quit 2 weeks ago cold turkey and so far so good! Luckily for me despite the stupid smoking I stayed in great shape over the years as my will allowed me to go to the gym a lot and keep up my lifting weights, cardio and I also do not drive, so I walk up to between 1-2 miles a day which I have been doing since I was about 16 as I love to walk! I could however use a few pointers when it pertains to the habbit aspect of it. The nicotine withdrawl to my surprise has not bothered me at all, but the habbit of doing it, such as when I go to talk on the phone, or step outside to talk to a buddy who stops by, I find myself wanting to reach in my pocket and grab my lighter lol, but when that happens it does cause me irritably. So please let me know some of your helpful tips to combat those hard times! It's a wonderful thing you are doing on here!
I am so glad I came across this page. I quit smoking 8 days ago, cold turkey, and I thought I was losing my mind. I didn't know there was that many side effects just from quitting smoking. I have defiantly thought about starting it up again, but I know this time is it, I don't want to smoke anymore. I am 30 years old have been smoking since I was 15. I have 2 young children and I want to live a long and healthy life with them. One weird thing is, I gave up smoking each time I was pregnant and of course started back up again after, but I never had the symptoms that Im experiencing now when I quit when I was pregnant, is there any reason for that?
thanks I'll have a look at that. I need all the help I can get right now
Nicotinesolutions.com has informational calls that you can get some sample ideas on how to start changing your behavior of smoking without using drugs.
Smoking is a multifaceted problem that needs to be dealt with on many different levels
I am new to researching the physical and psychological effects from quitting smoking. I am 42 years old and a smoker since I was about 15 years old. I have been a pack of day smoker for about 15 years, give or take a few in good times and times of stress. I realize that I crave smoking more when I am frustrated, stressed, or overwhelmed. How can I naturally cope with these stressors without resorted to nicotine to calm my nerves or curb my anger?
I have used nicotine gum over many attempts to stop smoking over the years. The side effects for me are mouth and tongue ulcers. Also I get depression when quitting smoking as my body learns to do without nicotine. I find that chewing gum only prolongs this period making me susceptible to failing for a longer period.
Hi Robert,
hmm I have not heard of quitting smoking and then getting halitosis, usually it is the other way around. You might want to go and see a doctor it might have some other cause?
I quit smoking about a month ago, but I was only smoking 1 or 2 cigarettes a day. I now have terrible halitosis would like to know if this is a common side effect and how long does it generally last. I haven't seen it posted as a side effect on any sites.
Lisa!
I am so sorry you are going though all this.
Lela
Well it's good to know I'm not the only one! I have quit for four months now. I'm ready to jack in my job, I'm so emotional, I'm rowing with anybody who doesn't share the same opinion and I've just spent £8 on a mouthwash because my gums are bleeding!! I know "healthy body, healthy mind" and I know I need to get to the gym but just can't find the motivation! It is comforting to know I'm not alone! I may even go and do some yoga right now :)
Quiting smoking is hard but not impossible, it's all in your mind and if you learn to controll yourself mentally then you are a winner, it's about how strong you are and will power. I am 22 years of age and started smoking when I was 13, by the age of 16 I was smoking a packet a day and hooked. I have been an asthmatic from the age of 8years and now my asthma has gone worse and I have decide I am giving up the cancer stick for good, tomorrow will be my 5th day and this will be a great achievement.. Just believe in yourself and anything is possible :) good luck to you all, be strong:)
Thank you Cheryl
I am so happy I found this page!!!!
Information is power! I feel so rejuvinated. I quit smoking November 12 (3 weeks ago) Cravings come and go, I just have more pepermint then I used too. It helps with settling my stomach, and deep breathing helps a lot with the cravings. So the part that is getting to me is the phelm and hoarness. I hate having to clear my throat so much. But after reading the reasons I am happy to clear my throat now : )
WHAT A WONDER HUB!!!!
Thank You!
Marie,
I know that having sore muscles is a symptom of recovery. Your muscles and cells are rebuilding on a cellular level.
Cramps and loose stool is also a symptom. Not so sure about blood in the stool. Maybe better go to a doctor about the blood part.
Let me know
Lela
Hi Lela
I stopped smoking 19 days ago, for the past week and a half I have had cramps, diaherra and now with blood in it. Is that a side effect? I smoked 30 a day cut down to 20 about 18 months ago then down to 6 a couple of months ago and now 0. I am very sore and just trying to figure out if this is a side effect.
It is never too late to quit! Your body starts restoring itself 20 minutes after you quit smoking.
After a year a lot of restoring has taken place and after 10 years (except for the carbon residue) you would not be able to tell that you ever smoked.
hello all I am in week 3 of cold turkey. the first two weeks were ok because I was in the hospital for upper respitory problems, due to smoking im sure. Now on week three i am sleepy all the time and light headed... I am thankful to the stories of all the people on this page cause I thought I was losing my mind feeling so different. I was never a pack a day smoker maybe a pack every 3 to 4 days but that was too much to. I smoked for the last 10 to 15 years, my question is does the body heal itself from all the years of smoking or did I do to much damage to my body from smoking???
Stacia tell him to hang in there. I am on the 48 hour mark from 1 pack a day, 24 years. This is not the first time I tried to quit either. Hopefully this time will work. My neighbor needs a lung transplant after years of smoking and I have decided I do not want to go down that route.
my husband just started to quit smoking and he is having a hard time coping, he has hot flashes,head spining, feels neasua and heart racing what can i do to help him.
I am 2 years smoke free... and still feel pretty bad. I still suffer major sinus congestion, post nasal drip, phlegm, and mouth ulcers. I have just started using nasal irrigation and think that it is helping.
I also suffer from psoriasis, so am not sure if my over active immune system has made my recovery take much longer. Some days I just want to start smoking again in order to feel better.
No, my psoriasis has not improved since quitting :(
I am really upset that the medical community does not really prepare you for what happens to your body after you quit smoking. Maybe they really don't know because why would they study that?... they just want you to quit!
Lela,
Thanks for this site and info. I was having trouble adjusting to the new life, and was getting worried with every new development, viz. Heartburn, tingling in figures, etc. Then after reading this I realized its all expected. But I still want to go ahead and quit this time. After going through these symptoms, I hate my decision to start smoking more than I would ever think of re-thinking giving up this effort.
Thanks for the help,
AB
Hey everyone I didnt read all your posts but I wanted to say my husband and I have so far been 15 days with out cigs we smoked pack to pack and a half each a day and sometimes he smoked Cigars. We are doing okay he is using the Losenges and I am using patch we have quit 3 times but this time feels different. Guess we are just quiting to be healthy we live by a hill and our goal is to walk up that sucker its pretty steep. :o) We look at it each day and say maybe tomorrow we can do it looks like a nightmare I think but we will get there. There are crazy things that still trigger it for me it can be the oddest thing like getting in my car, writing a check for a bill, or just petting our dog with one hand and the other hand isnt busy. IT drives me bonkers but we are doing well and anyone else who is trying to quit YOU can not quit for anyone else you have to do it for your self and what helped us so far is every night we lay in bed we hold each others hand and jsut pray that the good lord will help us make it another day. Theres lots of power in prayer and its working :o)
Rob,
I can totally understand the fear. Good for you for quitting after so long. It is a horrible addiction. I hope everything comes out okay for you.
9 weeks and counting, i feel terrible and i'm having a lot of problems with my repiratory system. i thought i had lung cancer and that was the driving force behind my quitting, my lungs are congested and so is my head, i can not sleep due to the anxiety of thinking about having cancer. So i had a chest x-ray and i am waiting for a lung function test. by the way the x-ray showed nothing. ihave smoked most of my teenage and adult life and i am now 47. being scared is the best motivator i can think of.
James I teach Nicotine Solutions worldwide.
I quit smoking Cold Turkey a few months ago, without doing any research or speaking to someone about it. Over the last few months I have felt like I was about to die and I am still feeling awful. I had a stress test, they took pictures of my heart, MRI, Blood work after blood work, urine samples, Ear nose and throat doctor, went to my GP who thought it could be my hormones. I kept explaining to the doctors that I was dizzy and my body hurt. One doctor said my mono came back, not the case. Doctor after Doctor, I explained, "It feels like someone is ripping my skin out, I feel like I am going to pass out, extremely dizzy, congested, my fingers feel tingly, sometimes I feel like I can't feel them at all, I even have head aches and I have never had them before." One prescribed me Xanax and the other anti-depressant. Needless to say, my heart, blood work and everything came back ok. I can not believe that stopping smoking can cause all of these symptoms. I felt like I was going to die, which did not make anything feel better. I am thankful for your information. I have scheduled a meeting with a therapist tomorrow- face what I have been hiding from.
JB,
Everyone is different and maybe due to the level of nicotine you were consuming, your age or how nicotine was affecting your body, you maybe never have any of the side effects from stopping smoking so just consider yourself lucky and be happy!
Lela
Well it's been two weeks since I quit. Oddly, other than some slight irritableness, I have had no side effects at all. Should I still expect some after all this time?
I've got 11 cigs left in this pack and will go cold turkey at about noon tomorrow. The information on this site has been invaluable. I had no idea of the many side effects of smoking until I read this site. I feel much more prepared for this journey ahead of me now. Thanks.
It is so difficult for non-smokers. We saw my uncle die from lung cancer and it was horrible. My dad basically had to see that to decide to make a change. He was a hard core smoker, two packs a day, since he was 16 - so it was really difficult. Ultimately, the smoker has to make the choice. I know it's so hard; I will never smoke because of it.
Hey Robin!
Oh my gosh! I am so sorry that your dad felt ill for months after quitting smoking.... and the rats..... oh my gosh... It is so hard for the non-smokers to know how to support the people in our life that are smoking!
Chris!
Feeling like you are loosing your breath is common when you first quit smoking! Hang in there. It does go away. and the the coughing is just your lungs clearing out.... yes I know it is annoying but you cant get in ther with a hoover vacuum to clean out your lungs!!!
This is such an informative Hub! Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge on quitting smoking. My dad smoked for over 30 years and quit 10 years ago. I remember throwing out his cigarettes as a kid. It was so hard for us to see him smoke when we were learning how horrible it was for you in school. He said he felt physically ill for months after quitting and didn't feel back to normal for a year. I always steered clear of cigarettes because of his experience. When we were young my sister and I had two pet rats that lived in the garage where he smoked. They both died of second hand smoke related emphysema! Yikes! ;)
It's been over 72 hours since my last puff.... Having muscle cramps and felt like there's something stuck in my throat. Thanks to this site, at least I know what to expect.
Thanks again!
hey im on like my 5th day of not smoking and i have coughing a-lot... i had a cold before i stopped and not sure if it caused from the cold or if it is caused from not smoking...all i know is, is that i woke up one day and just didnt want to smoke anymore so here i am trying to quit cold turkey ... how long will this coughing last? also when i wake up from sleeping its like my throat is dry and then i really start coughing after i breathe in but it feels like im going to lose my breath....? any suggestions...?
Tara
Oh my gosh....the school bus driver!!!
I started smoking when I was 18. I have been kicking my self ever since then I am now 27 and smoke free for 4 days. I am starting to smell better and my senses are stronger then ever which reminds me I need to change the cat box lol but seriously when I was younger people who smoked used to totally turn me off. but then I had a rough senior year of high school. My school bus driver offered me a cigarette and I was hooked. Well now I can say I am free of the addiction :)
Hi I quit 71/2 hours ago and am already suffering the sweats, headaches, dizzyness and nausea. My body reacts so badly to change. Was out with freinds (smokers) i felt tempted and almost had 1 but remembered what i read on this page and so wanted to thank you all for your words of encouragement.
Great..
If you are aware of the risks, it will be easier to face the problems.. In time of Diarrhea, you can see your bum and say "I knew you would come" :).
On a serious note, if you have these information then one ca tackle the issues easily as he is aware of the risk and has the mitigation plan. Atleast one is aware that this was going to happen and doesn't come as a surprise.
I am planning to quit too and hence going through different articles to have the understanding of the problems that I am going to face.
All the best all.
On Sunday I will be smoke free for3 months after going cold turkey. It was insane the 1st few weeks and sometimes I still catch myself walking outside to go and have a smoke. Guess the habits will be the last to go. I have had to completely change my life. I eat healthier and I excercise every single day - just to keep my weight down. Only problem is - Food taste SO much nicer!
Good luck everyone. We are stronger than we give ourselves credit for!
Sorry JBay....spelled your name wrong!!
Jay,
I'm now on week six, and it's still tough. I too am having sinus issues (post-nasal drip, stuffy nose, etc), and that has been my biggest complaint so far! I also thought I was going mad and that something was horribly wrong with me until I cam across this site. I think I've had every possible side effect listed here over the past six weeks. I thought that once I quit smoking I would be up and running marathons.....for the most part it's been all I could do to run water!!!! LOL!! No, really, you're not going mad.....it may feel like it, but that's why I wish I come here before hand. I quit cold turkey, and the more I've read, the more I realize that it's a jolt to your system, and that had I done this differently, I could be avoiding a lot of what I've gone through. But just hang in there.....it does get better!!!
Holy Cow! I am so glad I ran across this page. I feel like total crap! It's been 2 weeks. My sinuses are all messed up and Im sleeping like 3 hours a night. I think I might be going mad!
I just wanted to say that I wish I'd encountered this site before I decided to quit. I could have done myself a huge favor by avoiding these nasty withdrawl symptoms. I've been quit 28 days now, and with each day I feel so much better, but it's been a doozy, and I'm still having side effects. Not as bad as the first week, mind you. I guess the worst thing now is the sinusy cough mess I've got going on, and the lightheadedness....other than that, I can take deep breaths without hacking, laugh without hacking and get up in the morning without hacking. I cannot be happier that I quit, but I wish the journey was one more pleasant. I would also like to say that I appreciate the fact that this site has so much wonderful information (I've bookmarked it) and that it's not a "know it all" kind of sight. I've searched many sites, and get put off with the attitudes you find because most quit smoking sites are run by people who never smoked a day in their life. So thanks for giving people a place to come where they can feel comfortable and can gain the knowledge necessary to quit!!!
I quit for 2yrs but a messy divorce drove me back to cigarettes ......2 days ago, I dropped them cold turkey again and the side effects with my sleep are diabolical to say the least!....No pain, no gain though, tight? Well I am sending well wishes to all of my fellow quilters, may we all heal and deal with this addiction with God's. speed!
150 Days and itching like mad
two+half months smoke free.this is the hardest thing i have done in my life.cold turkey is evil.most of symptoms i suffered .fear of everything is still the worst.
cool information. Yesterday I quit. I am craving for cigg ehh :)
I think I am 2 months or a little more into it,I had everything plus pains in my head.the head pains are getting better I went cold turkey after 23 years a giving my self a bit of brain tissue damage from chain smoking the last year..it seems if you smoke like me a pack in 3 to 4 hours a day you OD a little and the tissue in your brain can be affected ...dose not happen to every one ,just my luck it was me.I met a man that almost went blind from the same like me he did cold turkey,he told me it was almost a year until he felt better.For all those trying just hang in there you can do it.At 39 I have high blood pressure,brain and eye damage from smoking 20 reds a day in about 3 hours for a year strait.be glad you do not have my med bills :D
Little over 2 Months then it started getting better Get some Honey and take a teaspoon full every Hour
Paramose, how long did you have the sore throat & sinus stuff? Did it get worse before it got better? I'm concerned about the throat symptoms.
TMC
Gave it a bit more time mine just been 100 days I m starting to get better Hang in there
Been quit for 32 days & started with the sinus, ear & throat stuff last week. My voice is weak sometimes & my ears feel stopped up. How long does all this sinus, ear throat last? What sypmtoms did you have?
Anxiety attacks are some of the worst I've ever had. I just want all this to go away, but I did it to myself!! Players have to pay!!!
I have quit or trying to quit smoking today not using anything only will power, I have been smokin for about 10yrs , I have tried before and failed miserably I get really angry an I mean REALLY Angry when I haven't had a cigarette , everytime I try my eyes go weird and I get a terrible headache I can go all day nrly without one but soon as I get home I am straight to the shop and then smoke my head off . Today will be the day I STOP no matter how hard it's going to be I'm not going to let it beat me !!! I will post back in a few days to see how I'm getting on :)
At last some where I find the answers I need I gave up 9 months ago and seem to constantly have respirtory infections it really sucks but I will never smoke again! Now I know why it is much easier to deal with! Thank you for making this information available :) Superb!
you really know what you are doing thanks a lot
Great information on this site. I have been smoke free for 58 days. Cold turkey. I just had enough of burning $6 on a daily basis and feeling terrible physically. I stumbled upon this site by accident and love the helpful info. My unsuccessful attempt in the past was due to lack of knowledge and understanding of what my body was going through. Giving in so that I don't have to be so miserable. I'm ok with facing my problem head on and not using a smoke to help me calm down or to help me think more clear. Actually, it was doing the opposite. Anyway, good luck all. You can do it, when you have a weak moments just remember what motivates you to quit in the first place and stick to it. Think of it as a challenge that you can over come. I'm still taking one day at a time. Good Luck!
My husband smokes a car payment up each month, night sweats that stink, someone help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am loving this site. It has really helped me through the past few days,as that is when I found it. Yesterday was a month since I quit. I have tried so many strategies in the past to quit and they all failed, so this time I quit cold turkey. I have been struggling with anxiety and depression for the last 2 weeks:( Hoping this will pass soon. Do you know how long this emotional part will last? It has really started to wear me down. I don't have any desire to go back to smoking but I am not enjoying this either. Please give me an answer if you can. Thanks again for all the info! It's been the best site so far!
Love this - it's so very informative. Thank you! I've been smoke free for 30 days now. I can't believe I've gotten this far and have done it cold turkey. It really hasn't been too bad, I have referred back to this page a number or times - it's actually helped to calm my nerves with a few things. You hit the mark on sooo many things. Unfortunately, it seems that I've hit a HUGE wall in the last couple of days. Seems funny (more disturbing actually) that days 29 and 30 have almost seemed harder than the entire glory week. I can only assume it's stinking PMS... I hope it goes away soon though. I just feel like I'm going to rip someones head off and feels like if I just grabbed a pack of smokes I would be okay. I know that isn't the case - but oh my. I can only hope that tomorrow will be a better day. Anyhow - that again for this page - I love it!
Wow! Great info. I'm on day 26 with the patch and although you say it's like switching from red to white wine it does help me quit the physical habit of actually having a cigarette.
The physical symptom's were very worrying for me and were becoming a discouraging factor until I came upon your site.
The twitching tingling toe was very distracting and I feel much more at ease now. I'm 51 and have smoked for 35 year and now I want to get out and start living again,running and playing sports etc.. I'll have to be careful as I'm not 21 anymore but I used to be very active and am really pissed that all those years of smoking have cut into that. I've got a ton to make up for.
I started with the 14 mg patch and feel it was maybe too strong but I think I'll finish the program before I switch to the lower patch, why blow it now although my mindset is that I'll never smoke again.
I thank you for the great info. You've put mind mine at ease. Great work!!!
Excellent hub,i quit 20 day's ago and have been thinking there was something wrong with me.I googled bleeding gums and came across this.Feeling a lot more positive now.My seven year old begged me to quit cos he was frightened of losing me so i have a lot of incentive,but it's still hard going.I smoked for 26 years with an 18 month break when i was pregnant and feeding my son.I've never smoked in the house.My son and i made a quit calender and every night he colours in the day that's past.Sounds silly but i'm so proud of myself at that time every night,it eggs me on the next day.GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!
Peter the itching is from better circulation, it is a good sign!!!
PAB I would also like to hear about your pain if it was about your quitting smoking or if they went away
Sorry for so many post I need all the help i can get
Saff
Can you update your condition i would really like to hear how You making out i seem to have the same problem
I have stop Smoking 8 Weeks ago the first 4 weeks were good now the last 4 weeks have been vary bad no Sleep vary bad thoughts nerve cramps around abdomen big humps will appear then go away come again thats when the bad things are happening in my Head i take Oxazepam for Sleeping i get about 3 hours of sleep a Night how much longer can this last i really need some answers I dont want to start again Thanks Peter
Yeah I do the itching and its really annoying lol
Me and my husband quite smoking cold turkey 13 days ago. I had been smoking for the last 18 years and him 35 years. I don't think that we are going to re-start we are doing really good exept for the itching???
Day 12 just reduced mg on patches starting to sleep better and slowly get rid of cravings
Just failed...again... on day 10 of Zyban. Was very confident until I actually quit. Didn't last 24 hours. I'm stopping Zyban today. Will this ever end?
I am on day 5/6 I am so exhausted I feel like a walking zombie I read the part on tiredness is this normal to be this tired??????
I am on day 9 and I am Never smoking again! Thanks for the info its great! x
I had been smoking for 3 in a half years. I had 6 months down but had ONE cigarette and was right back on it. The second time around is harder than before. I have 8 days under my belt and I get a few cravings. The thing I'm scared about is having some sort of cancer. Im only 21 and i know it sounds ridiculous but I read the symptoms and I do have ear aches and hoarseness. I think I'm fine but you know how humans can be hypocondriacs :P.
Shakira no one cares that you do meth. And why do you feel the need to tell everyone to shut up? If you haven't realized you are on a site that tells you how to quit smoking, if you have no interest in it than why are you here? Go find a site where you can discuss how amazing meth is with all of the other trashy losers who find it appealing.
whyy u sooo dumb ppl i live smoking it is great and i take meth!!! im so happy that i am doing it! so shut up
im thankful for this useful information! i have quit for a week now and my headaches hurt like crazy. i have fever.
I have quit now for 11 months i starting to feel alot better now and smokes cost $17 plus some change here in australia rip off keep at it if you dont quit the firts time who cares keep trying you know you want to quit it aint that hard
I lost my 40 year old son to a massive heart attack just 6 months ago. Buried in grief, is it crazy to think that I could quit smoking during such a difficult period, the worst of my life? I want to quit so bad, feel terrible from smoking, not to mention the cost - $8.60 a pack in NYS.
Good site, It seems to me that even though on line it give support to just be able to read what others are going thru. I have quit smoking again 3-4 weeks ago and i am getting cravings today and yesterday. May have something to do with my mom in law in the hospital cuz diabetes and heart problems.. stress crutch lol. but I am gettin thru it. Although i have quit before. My longest stretch of no smoking is around 3 years . I am hoping that this is the last time i quit and that it stays permanent.
Hey, that's me three days and counting, totally cold turkey! Smoked for, 8 years now and tried to quit about 4 times unsuccessfully! But somehow this times different, I've made a conscious decision, if that makes any sence? I'm getting tight pains in my chest, extremely hungry all the time and easily irritated tho I know this pain and symptoms I'm going through is better than dying painfully of cancer or getting my limbs amputated!Lol I can do this, so can anyone! If you start something, there's no reason why you can't stop it!:D
Every time I quit smoking without conviction I have had many negative effects (constipation, insomnia, nervousness, fatigue, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating). But when I stopped as a logical consequence of a journey that I decided to do toward myself, I do not know if you believe it, but I did not have any of these symptoms. No desire to smoke! No signs of abstinence!
The key is in our heads. If we think it will be hard, it will be hard. If we do not have a good motivation, it will be hard.
This has been my experience and I just wrote a page on the topic. I believe that stopping smoking is not difficult , is difficult to decide to quit, decide deeply.
Fucsia
futurehero73,
You sound pretty cranky to me.
Lela
PS I am not sure what you mean about grammatically a mess? If you come back could you enlighten me?
one more thing if you want a truly realistic timeline of quitting smoking search "quitting smoking timeline" they give time approximations of symptoms and reduced health risks. yet again pretty much the same anywhere you look. if you want a better idea just compare and collate the first few results.
hah suffer from cold turkey that's ridiculous. to live is to suffer, period. seriously people have no will power these days. and the patch and all of that stuff isn't cold turkey. the whole idea of cold turkey is zero aid no extra little things to helps nurse me through it. to quit anything cold turkey is to literally just stop doing it, nothing more and nothing less. cold turkey colloquially means approximately the same as abruptly. the closest to cold turkey of any of those is hypnosis or acupuncture and that's because they aren't drug related but still technically not cold turkey. even to ween oneself off is not cold turkey. i've quit and the last i had any nicotine whatsoever was less than a week ago and yeah i'm having a couple pains yeah i feel a little irritable but i can deal with it because i've made up my mind and i'm sticking to my guns. it's not hard once you learn to say no to yourself. you just keep saying no. still, very informative. though grammatically and organizationally a mess i do have to give kudos on level of information though it's pretty much the same amount as any other search result for "quitting smoking"
Thank you for the information, I quit 19 days ago, my tongue hurts, I have a sore throat, constantly tired, I searched and searched for information to see what is wrong with me, but there are no website out there that have such comprehensive infomation like this one. I thought it was the side effect of Zyban, but it is not. It is my system trying to get back to normal. Thanks you again.
THANK YOU FOR TELLING THE TRUTH!!! - I searched and searched and could NOT find a REAL website about QUITTING COLD TURKEY - Like James' post above - all the OTHER PLACES - made it sound like - in 1 week - you should feel like a MILLION BUCKS!!! NOT THE CASE!! I feel sooooo much better after I read ALL the things that might happen... I have about 3/4 of them!! LOL LOL But... KNOWLEDGE IS POWER... because of this site... I KNOW I AM GOING TO MAKE IT!!! BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE REST!! YOU CAN DO IT!! ????
This is the most realistic list of symptoms and time frames I have seen. Most sites make it seem like you'll feel great in a week or two. But I quit 3 months ago and am still having throat and sinus and sore mouth problems, the occasional heartburn, and a few other symtpoms. There are many threads on the web where people have quit and are months down that path feeling terrible and wondering why. Many say that the symptoms listed in this article can last a year. I hope those struggling find this site.
wow this article makes me feel better. I have been having a lot of the symptoms (especially leg cramps) and was starting to think I was crazy. i thought i should feel better all at once since its been 5 weeks cold turkey and no cheating (I am finished for good after 10 years)I just want to thank you for this article it eases a lot of stress about the way i am feeling.
Hi just thought id say well i am feeling so much better after quitting my anxiety has gone still not as good as when i smoked cause got acid reflux but alot better then before/Although i do burp alot lol my heart feels weird but not as bad as before i actually thought i was dying before and wished i never quit now i hate the smell of smoke glad i quit and for the first time ever i managed to jog a mile. all my symptoms have either gone or minimised dramatically since i quit.its been a struggle but im glad i did it i hope in a month i am back to normal fully and cant wait for that to happen.I do advise people not to quit smoking cold turkey if they are really addicted to it but to take it slowly and ask friends to support you and not friends who smoke but friends who dont smoke.
Like your page and the people's thoughts. It been only one day, but i am having more problems with the habit of quiting, i really have quit a couple of times in the last months, but go back becuase i have a bad habit of when and where i smoke, have no side effects at all, maybe a headache or tension, but an excedren or mydol help tremendously, just want to smoke when I lay down to watch tv st night, when i come home for lunch from work, have a coffee in the morning on the weekends, or just go over and visit my mom, she has one only when i come over, one every few weeks. That will be the one that is the hardest. I am determined now though, becuase my doctor said that i badly need breast reduction surgery and they will not operate on a smoker, too much bleeding. I am having it down in December 2010, and just stopping 9/20. they said they will do a nicotin test on me and if there is any in my system, they will not operate. I hope i can cleanse my body of this by the end of December. I am told that it is completely out of your system in 16 weeks, is that true? I know I can do it, just have to beat the habit of it all.
saf,
How long will this last....hmm hard to say. Everyone is different. Every symptom has its own time line with each person
If you want to call me I would be happy to discuss it with you. Email me with your number and we will set up a time to talk .
easeout at nicotinesolutions dot com
Lela
man this is so true all this info i quit now its been over a month its been so bad i find the air really thin i find it hard to breathe i been having serious anxiety attacks bad constipation it felt like i was losing my mind i was dizzy tired couldnt sleep for days well to be honest now my sleeping is better but i still got breathing problems and ausea and anxiety i hope i get well and my heart feels sharp pains i mean since i quit i am eating healthy herbal fruit veg all the good stuff and still this is happening how long do you think it will last (my doc said all the symptoms are due to anxiety) but i want to know how long it will last any ideas.
What ever works, Jewels
I did it cold turkey and didn't have side effects. I smoked for 20 years. So just goes to show it can be done. Perhaps some people are different. I would not discourage anyone from doing it cold turkey, in fact kudos to them. Sometimes prolonging the inevitable by using nicotine aids (gum and patches) isn't a good way to go. But it's an individual choice.
I have been a long term smoker, starting at 9 years old and smoking a pack a day by 15. For a long while I smoked menthol cigs, and was able to quit cold turkey, at age 28. After 14 years of being a non-smoker, I returned to cigs. Then it was on one year off one year, on 5years off 9 months, on 3 years and off 2, on 5 years. That makes me 60 years old and I know I feel like I am 70. Today, I am using Chantix, and this is my quit day. Your article was very, very helpful... and fits my experiences. My only issue with what you wrote, is the factor that I have learned (about myself and perhaps others have had this experience) is that if I reduce the amount I smoke, my body/mind gets worse cravings and I get more agitated - almost as if my system knows that if it sets up enough of a ruckus, I will smoke and feed the habit. So, it seems for me, my best route may be the higher level of symptoms via quitting 'cold turkey' but they subside faster, rather than extending the process. This is harder than removing alcohol from my life! I did that in 1975 and never slipped. I guess that is the thing I have done with cigarettes - I've told myself that I cannot get high, cannot drink alcohol ever but I 'allow' myself cigarettes, even after a long abstinence. And it seems for me, that once I smoke one, I am off and smoking again.
So how do I make this time different?
Greetings,
Thanks for sharing the comprehensive info. I've quit smoking for about a week now, cold turkey method and do faced such symptoms like insomnia, get tired, sleepy and lethargic. I cant put much attention in everything i do. I didnt know that those symptoms actually are positive symptoms, what a relief...but really give a hardtime.
Narythi,
Thanks for stopping by again. I guess you will need to treat each symptom as it comes up. Maybe get some over the counter medicine for the sinus...or metaphysically I have always heard that people that have sinus problems are annoyed with someone that is close to them ..ring any bells?
Sinus may not be related to stopping smoking.
I wish you would have gone through Nicotine Solutions to stop smoking and then you would not have had to go through all these terrible symptoms!
Lela
It sounds worse to stop than to carry on. I mean in 2 weeks your sense of smell inproves - wow. What do you want to smell? I found that i didn't like the way i smelled so i started again. You can taste food again. I could anyway! When you quit you spend all day eating so you'll get sick of the taste of food.
giving up today after reading that and posible brain damage ,on another site .to think that your ability to defend your self and others cos of smoking hence do u go out in the rain to smoke
it me Narythi.. it been 3 month since the last time i been here.. last time i was here was about my feet having a hot spot.. well it been 4 months or something now since i quit smoking.. now am having problem with sinus ... Pressure under my eye and drip behind my throat.... HOW LONG WILL THIS PROBLEM LAST..? took diffrent things for my sinus but nothing seem to help but to make it worse... my dr don't seem to care... and I seem to be more forgetful or just became dumb.... you will think 4 months later i would get better.... anyone have crazy sinus problem....
im on 25 hours without one and i find the hardest part is the mental. the physical withdrawl is temporary and will not last forever, plus ive been in worse physical pain than this. its convincing the mind that cigarettes are just illusions of broken promises and that you are finally free and reborn. And the great part of that is if i can quit smoking, i can do anything in life with the right mentallity. PAIN IS TEMPORARY, PRIDE IS FOREVER!
quit 3 wk
11 days..the legarthy is the worst.. I am very motivated and energetic personand lack of energy has been a problem. Taste has changed. Loved the fact that I no longer cough at night or in the morning. And YES..it has to be the smoker's idea to quit. Period. My guy has also decided to quit (a few days behind me..but ok) so we are patient with each other. I am very proud of myself!
Lela,
Thank you for such a great page. The list of side effects were a little daunting but having the approximate time they would last makes it easier to think I can get thru. I have had one cigarrette in the past 48 hours (and that cigarrete was almost 36 hours ago.) The side effects are rough but the worst is the insomnia (which I've always had an issue with anyway) and the leg cramps. But I've been very full of energy and going for walks, and working out during cravings to try to help so I think it's also due to muscle fatigue. Anyway, it is helpful knowing it won't last forever. Thanks again.
I quit smoking for the 2nd time a little more than a week ago.Iquit smoking around the same time last summer this time it's so much easier don't know why but the withdrawl effects for me were very mild and don't even crave a smoke at all.
I sooo want a smoke right now Im jittery sad and cranky its been 5 hrs n counting
Thanks, you got me through day 18 craving! Now that I know where this page is I can read it again when I need too!!! You are so right..it is the life style not the nicotine that is the hardest to drop
i was googling insomnia as a side effect of quitting, and this page came up. it's very informative - you really hit the nail on the head, especially when the suggestions about habit/behavior change and preparation for quitting. i had never actually though through why quitting seemed like losing 'my best friend' and my 'me' time all at once! i hope knowing all this helps me out! thanks..
Hi IzzyP,
Good for you that you are stopping smoking. I am very concerned about all the law suits about Chantix. In the United States is has been banned for use by the DOT (Department of transportation) and by the FAA (Federal Aviation Association).
There have been many reported cases of suicides that come on suddenly and many lawsuits pending against the makers of Chantix.
I would look into Chantix a little more closely. There are other ways of stopping smoking that are much safer and don't involve drugs. ...(like Nicotine Solutions, ok it is a shameless plug but true..Nicotine Solutions has one of the highest success rates of 90% and the program multifaceted which deals with all parts of the addiction)
Excellent Hub!
I am documenting my quitting smoking with Chantix in my Hub (it isn't published yet so don't bother looking). LOL
People think a lot about quitting but the after shocks of doing so can be surprising. Your hub can help people cope.
-IzzyP
Lela Bryan Hub Author 8 days ago
Let me know when you get back and if you have problems email me at easeout@nicotinesolutions.com
Lela Bryan