In the process of quitting bad habits, the main thing is not to overdo it with goal setting and goal updating. Very few are able to quit smoking here once and for all. This is a long process with its own returns and experiences. All of this is related to emotional, psychological and physiological characteristics. You can quit smoking yourself, but you need to do it correctly, reasonably, gradually.
Let's try to understand all the twists and turns on this important but not easy issue. Experts have developed a formula for success for a person who quits an addiction, in the form of a calendar or graph with a detailed description of the changes that occur in the body. I wonder what happens to the body when I quit smoking. Let's try to figure it out.
Important: consequences for the body from the day
During the transition to a healthy lifestyle, significant clinical changes occur in an adult's body (smoker), emotional background, and physiological state of change. Each new day of smoking cessation differs from the previous one in the background of psychological problems and physical well-being. As they say, the main thing at this time is not to break. So, we will present a picture of what is happening in the form of a diary, in which a number of calendar days are marked and given with a description of the actual symptoms.
Quitting smoking: Day One
When, finally, the decision to quit smoking is finally and irreversibly taken (though not for the first time), it is necessary to "enter" this process gradually. To facilitate the transition from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one, 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 regime for itself and begin the recovery processes. An abrupt transition from one state to another can negatively affect overall well-being and reduce determination. This is not only a physical test but also a psychological one.
The main thing that happens to the body when quitting smoking: the amount of carbon monoxide is reduced, the transport of erythrocytes is improved and more oxygen enters the tissues. Even from the outside, the first day after quitting nicotine, the "former" smoker enjoys a new state of mind for himself, he is more active, cheerful, confident in his strength. The very ability to painlessly quit the habit of smoking on the first day of the course convinces the smoker of strong determination and willpower. And this is important to overcome the cravings for nicotine.
However, remember that on the first day, characteristic physiological changes begin in the body.
For example, what happens in a woman's body:
- mild dizziness,
- lack of appetite,
- weakness,
- ankth,
- sleep disorders,
- insomnia.
What is the reason? An experienced smoker puts his body to the test on an emotional-psychological and physiological level. Such deep processes are caused that the body "can not live" without nicotine.
Quitting smoking causes other dramatic changes. Nicotine is not simply absorbed into the bloodstream, but begins to affect blood flow. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that, in general, the body will need at least a year to recover from smoking cessation. But for now, back to the smoking cessation diary.
Remember that on the first day of smoking cessation, characteristic physiological changes begin in the body, for example, women experience mild dizziness.
Quitting Smoking: Day Two
At this time, determination can lower you a bit - attacks will start to return to the old habit (at least not for long). This is what happens in a man's body, for example. As the fight unfolds on an emotional level, the body undergoes no less dramatic changes: the respiratory organs are released from mucus and solution components, the eyelash epithelial functions are restored, the condition of the gastrointestinal tract improves, new cells appear in the tissues. The changes that occur during this period at the emotional level are manifested in the form of euphoria, emotional arousal. But nervousness can also show up. It all depends on self-hypnosis and self-discipline. Although sometimes drowsiness can be suddenly replaced by energy. The second day after quitting smoking, the appetite is not yet fully restored (strange taste sensations may occur). You may also experience shortness of breath, cough, and even stomach pain. During this period, urges to urinate and difficulty sleeping appear more often. If you add to this the nervous tension, for example, as a result of stress at work, then it is quite natural that itching on the skin.
Smoking cessation: third and fourth days
Let’s take a closer look at what happens to the body when quitting smoking. A set of factors affects how quickly the body will heal. In particular, the general condition and weakened immunity play a special role. Therefore, the nuances of smoking cessation therapy should be judged at the cellular level. Every person has his or her own supply of inner energy to fight addiction. Therefore, an individual approach is needed. During the cleansing process, the body gets rid of toxins. Even the cell structure changes to cause a radical cleansing.
This is what happens to the body these days:
- Restoration of ciliary epithelium in the tissues of the respiratory organs,
- in the pancreas increases the rate of alkaline fractions,
- less mucus accumulates in the stomach,
- In general, blood circulation to the heart and brain improves.
A clear readiness for smoking begins to appear, peristalsis is normalized. At the same time, the "withdrawal" of the former smoker intensifies, which has more psychological consequences, nervousness appears. Quitting smoking seems to "find no place for itself", struggling with a long-term habit. Against this background, there is an added appetite, "catching" sweets. Sometimes the skin starts to peel and the fingers swell. When coughing, phlegm may appear in the throat.
Quitting Smoking: Day Five and Six
During the process of quitting smoking, many people use a special table or calendar for convenience, someone keeps a diary, recording their feelings in detail. This is useful when you need to identify the symptoms and accompanying changes in the body. As it gets easier after a few days, a diary will help you stick around and analyze your mistakes. From the fifth to the seventh day, a former smoker notices the following changes in his body: it is noticed how the microtraumas on the skin began to heal faster; all segments of the respiratory system (and the most distant ones) have been restored; digestion returns to normal; at an invisible level, blood cells are cleared of nicotine.
Usually, the final point in the process of combating addiction is set on the seventh day, when a person's physical dependence on cigarettes (smoke, odor) disappears. At the same time, there is no sense of psychological distress. But do not forget about the likelihood of relapse. Disruptions happen anyway. When euphoria passes, nervousness and aggression appear. Even sleep problems can reappear. However, it is important to remember that this is not for a long time, that the main stage in life - quitting smoking - has ended successfully and there is no motivation to return to the old life.
During the process of quitting smoking, many people use a special table or calendar for convenience, someone keeps a diary, recording their feelings in detail.
Quitting smoking: Week two
After a week, it seems Rubicon is over and you can now live as a non-smoker, quietly engaging in daily worries. But this rarely happens. The body certainly took a big step in the first week of quitting smoking. However, sometimes even external factors (cigarette smoke and even their appearance, for example, when smoking nearby) can play a nasty joke with a former smoker. Therefore, it is worth sharing your plans with friends and acquaintances, so that there is no temptation to wait "for the company".
It's worth listening to your body right now, it probably already has lost its nicotine habit. But this is not the end of the body's nicotine recovery process. You can help yourself by browsing the calendar of an ex-smoker, seeing noticeable changes in your work. It turns out that, starting from the second week, the fight turns into a purely psychological plan. The desire to smoke can arise during stress, sadness, in the appearance of an active smoker in his work. One must learn not to react to such outward promises of a return to the past.
What happens by the end of the second week?
It has been 14 days since a former smoker abstained from nicotine addiction. At this time, the following changes can be noticed in his body: healing of bronchitis and renewal of platelets. Although red blood cell renewal has not yet occurred. This may be due to vegetative-vascular manifestations. At the same time, you may notice how the complexion improves, the yellow color of the fingers disappears and the acute cough gradually disappears. The more experience the smoker has, the longer the symptoms will appear.
What happens in the first month of quitting smoking?
On the 30th day of quitting smoking, the weight begins to decrease, the upper respiratory tract system is fully recovered and psychological comfort is felt. At the same time, enthusiasm can be replaced by depression or blue. Here too, as in the first week, it is important not to let go, to hold on, because the hardest way to quit smoking is already over.
What happens from the second month of quitting smoking?
Starting in the second month of the nicotine addiction recovery process, and for the next three to four months, the ex-smoker (this is especially noticeable in women) gains more pleasing facial features, calms puffiness anddisappears gray color on the face, as well as couperose nets. And in the third month, an intensive restoration of blood vessels occurs in the body. This shows 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 desire for smoking has weakened so much that one can calmly perceive another smoker next to him, without experiencing hardship. Overall, there are noticeable improvements on the emotional, psychological and physical level. A good appetite is no longer a sign of stress seizure, but is simply associated with well-being.
What happens in the first year after quitting smoking?
Now let’s look at what happens to the body when you quit smoking for a long time. Six months is an important historical moment. At this stage of life, doctors notice the complete renewal of all body systems, when the blood and cells are almost completely cleansed of toxic substances (nicotine). It seems that every new day becomes easier to breathe. The lungs really work more efficiently. A year is already a real experience of a former smoker. This is the period when the first serious results can be summarized. For example, you can congratulate yourself on the successful completion of the event and simply enjoy a life without nicotine, which will certainly bear fruit. 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 one goal by substituting one habit for another. But any psychoactive substance provokes desire for other addictions. Someone switches to lighter cigarettes, someone continues to smoke a pack of cigarettes, simply stretching it in time. Of course, smokers with twenty years of experience may find it harder than others. In this case, quitting smoking is cyclical, not sudden. In any case, only one person can be released from freedom, giving up only one habit.