In the process of breaking bad habits, the main thing is not to go overboard with goal setting and goal updating. Very few can quit smoking here once and for all. This is a long-term process with your own commissions and experiences. All of this is related to emotional, psychological and physiological characteristics. You can quit smoking on your own, but you must do it correctly, reasonably, and gradually.
Let's try to solve all the twists and turns in this important matter, but not easy. Experts have developed a formula for the success of a person who quits an addiction, in the form of a calendar or graph with a detailed description of the changes that take place in the body. I wonder what happens to the body when you quit smoking. Let's try to solve it.
Important: the consequences for the body during the day
During the transition to a healthy lifestyle, significant clinical changes occur in the adult body (heavy smoker), emotional background and physiological state change. Each new day to quit smoking differs from the previous one in the context of psychological and physical well-being issues. As they say, the main thing at the moment is not to break. So, we will present a picture of what is happening in the form of a diary, in which a series of calendar days are noted and a description of the current symptoms is given.
Stop smoking: day one
When the decision to finally and irrevocably quit smoking has finally been made (although not for the first time), it is necessary to "enter" this process gradually. To ease the transition from an unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle, it is important to know how the body will behave. On the first day of the "course" of a healthy lifestyle, it is necessary for the weakened body to get used to a new regimen and start the recovery processes. The abrupt transition from one state to another can negatively affect overall well-being and reduce resolution. This is not only a physical test but also a psychological one.
The main thing that happens to the body when you stop smoking: it decreases the amount of carbon monoxide, improves the transport of erythrocytes, and more oxygen enters the tissues. Even outwardly, the first day after giving up nicotine, the "ex" smoker enjoys a new state for himself, he is more active, cheerful, confident in his own strength. The mere ability to quit painlessly on the first day of the course convinces the heavy smoker of determination and willpower. This is important to overcome nicotine cravings.
However, do not forget that the characteristic physiological changes in the body begin on the first day.
For example, what happens in a woman's body:
- mild dizziness
- lack of appetite,
- weakness,
- anxiety,
- sleep disorders
- insomnia.
What is the reason? An experienced smoker subjects his body to tests on an emotional-psychological and physiological level. So profound processes are triggered that the body "cannot live" without nicotine.
Quitting the cigarette triggers other dramatic changes. Nicotine is not simply absorbed into the bloodstream, it begins to affect blood flow. Therefore, it is important to consider that, in general, the body will need at least a year to recover from quitting smoking. But for now, let's get back to the quit journal.
Do not forget that on the first day of quitting smoking, characteristic physiological changes in the body begin, for example, women experience slight dizziness.
Stop smoking: day two
At this point, the decision may disappoint you a bit: the attacks will start to revert to the old habit (at least not for long). This is what happens in a man's body, for example. While the fight takes place on an emotional level, the body is undergoing no less dramatic changes: the respiratory organs are freed of mucus and sedimentation components, the functions of the ciliated epithelium are restored, the state of the gastrointestinal tract improves, new cells appear in thetissues. The changes that occur during this period on an emotional level are manifested in the form of euphoria, emotional excitability. But irritability can also appear. It all depends on self-hypnosis and self-discipline. Although sometimes drowsiness can be abruptly replaced by energy. On the second day after quitting, the appetite is still not fully restored (strange taste sensations may occur). You may also experience shortness of breath, coughing, and even stomach pain. During this period, the urge to urinate and difficulty falling asleep are more common. If you add nervous tension to this, for example as a result of stress at work, then it is quite natural for it to itch on the skin.
Quitting Smoking: Days Three and Four
Let's consider further what happens to the body when you quit smoking. A number of factors affect how quickly the body will recover. In particular, the general condition and weakened immunity play a special role. Therefore, the nuances of smoking cessation therapy must be judged at the cellular level. Each person has their own internal energy supply to fight addiction. Consequently, an individual approach is needed. During the cleansing process, the body gets rid of toxins. Even the structure of cells changes to trigger radical cleansing.
This is what happens to the body these days:
- restoration of the ciliated epithelium in the tissues of the respiratory organs,
- in the pancreas increases the indicator of alkaline fractions,
- less mucus accumulates in the stomach,
- In general, it improves blood circulation in the heart and brain.
A clear reluctance to smoke begins to appear, peristalsis normalizes. At the same time, the "withdrawal" of the ex-smoker increases, which has more psychological implications, nervousness appears. Quitting as if you “can't find a place for yourself, ” struggling with a long-term habit. Against this background, there is an increased appetite, "grabbing" sweets. Sometimes the skin begins to peel off and the fingers swell. When coughing, phlegm may appear in the throat.
Stop smoking: day five and six
In the process of "quitting" smoking, many people use a special table or calendar for their convenience, someone keeps a journal, recording their feelings in detail. This is useful when you need to identify associated symptoms and changes in the body. As it gets easier after a few days, a journal will help you contain and analyze your mistakes. From the fifth to the seventh day, an ex-smoker notices the following changes in his body: he noticed how the microtrauma on the skin began to heal faster; all segments of the respiratory system (and also the most distant) are restored; digestion returns to normal; At an invisible level, blood cells are rid of nicotine.
Usually, the end point in the process of fighting addiction is set on the seventh day, when a person's physical addiction to cigarettes (smoke, smell) disappears. At the same time, there is no feeling of psychological discomfort. But do not forget about the probability of relapse. Interruptions happen anyway. When the euphoria passes, nervousness and aggression appear. Even trouble sleeping can reappear. However, it is important to remember that this is not for long, that the main stage of life, quitting smoking, has been successfully completed and there is no motivation to return to the previous life.
In the process of "quitting" smoking, many people use a special table or calendar for their convenience, someone keeps a diary, recording their feelings in detail.
Quit Smoking: Week Two
After a week, it seems that the Rubicon has passed and now you can live as a non-smoker, calmly taking care of everyday worries. But that rarely happens. The body certainly took a big leap in the first week of quitting. However, sometimes even external factors (cigarette smoke and even their appearance, for example when they smoke nearby) can play a bad joke on an ex-smoker. Therefore, it is worth sharing your plans with friends and acquaintances, so that there is no temptation to break "for the company".
Your body is worth listening to at this point, it has probably already managed to quit nicotine. But this is not the end of the process of restoring the body from nicotine addiction. You can help yourself by flipping through a former smoker's calendar, seeing obvious changes in his job. It turns out that, from the second week on, the fight becomes a purely psychological plane. The desire to smoke can arise during stress, sadness, seeing an active smoker at work. One must learn not to react to such external promises of a return to the past.
What happens at the end of the second week?
It's been 14 days since a former smoker has abstained from nicotine addiction. At this time, the following changes can be noticed in your body: healing of bronchitis and renewal of platelets. Although the renewal of red blood cells has not yet occurred. This may be due to vegetative-vascular manifestations. At the same time, you may notice how the complexion improves, the yellowish tint of the fingers disappears, and the sharp cough gradually disappears. The longer the smoking experience, the longer the symptoms will appear.
What happens during the first month after I quit smoking?
Within 30 days of quitting, the weight begins to decrease, the upper respiratory system is fully restored, and psychological comfort is felt. At the same time, excitement can be replaced by depression or sadness. Here again, as in the first week, it is important not to let go, to hold on, because the hardest way to quit smoking has already passed.
What happens from the second month after I quit smoking?
From the second month of the recovery process from nicotine addiction, and the following three to four months, the ex-smoker (this is especially noticeable in women) acquires more pleasant facial features, the swelling disappears, the tintGrayness of the face disappears, as well as the couperose mosquito nets. And in the third month, an intensive restoration of blood vessels in the body occurs. This indicates that the body tone is finally returning to normal, as well as the fact that the "point of no return" has finally passed. The physical craving for tobacco has weakened so much that one can calmly perceive another smoker next to him, without experiencing torment. In general, there are notable improvements on an emotional, psychological and physical level. A good appetite is no longer a sign of a stress seizure, but simply associated with well-being.
What happens in the first year after I quit smoking?
Now let's see what happens to the body when you quit smoking in the long term. Six months is an important milestone. At this stage of life, doctors notice the complete renewal of all body systems, when the blood and cells almost completely get rid of the toxic substance (nicotine). It seems that every new day it becomes easier to breathe. The lungs actually work more efficiently. One year is already a real ex-smoker experience. This is the period in which the first serious results can be summed up. For example, you can congratulate yourself on the successful end of the event and just enjoy a nicotine-free life, which will certainly pay off. Those who quit smoking reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by 30-50 percent; lung cancer - by 80 percent; problems with the gastrointestinal tract - by 70 percent.
Willpower or alternatives
Many people who quit smoking have a false sense of how easy it is to achieve a goal by substituting one habit for another. But any psychoactive substance triggers cravings for other addictions. Someone switches to light cigarettes, someone continues to smoke a pack of cigarettes, just stretching it over time. Of course, smokers with twenty years of experience may find it more difficult than others. In this case, quitting is cyclical, not abrupt. In any case, only a person can free himself, giving up a single habit.