Most smokers underestimate smoking cessation the first time they quit smoking. We often think that it is simply a matter of not smoking until we don’t miss it anymore, and while abstinence is certainly mandatory for success, there is much more to it than that.

The information below will give you a head start on learning about what is involved when you stop smoking. Don’t fear what is ahead. Stub out your last cigarette and get started.

Things to Know After You Quit

Your body begins to healwithin minutes of your last cigarette. The human body is amazingly resilient, and within just 20 minutes of the last cigarette smoked, physical healing begins. The benefits continue to grow for years as well.

Recovery fromnicotine addictionis a process, not an event. In other words, discard any preconceived notions you might have about smoking cessation. Relax and adopt the attitude that it takes as long as it takes, which is unique to each person. Give yourself the time and space you need to heal fully.

Cravings to smoke are not commands. Smoking urges are going to surface often early on in smoking cessation and less often later on when an activity or feeling triggers a response to smoke.This is part of recovery from nicotine addiction. Expect it and know that the urge for a cigarette is not a sign that relapse is inevitable. A craving is not a command to smoke.

You’re going to feel like you’re wearing an ill-fitting suit (made of scratchy wool) for a while. The act of smoking becomes thoroughly intertwined with everything we do in life, from waking up in the morning to turning in at night.

We used cigarettes to deal with every emotion and event in our lives. When we quit, nothing feels normal, but be patient. Old associations will gradually be replaced with new, healthy connections.Timeand practice make the task doable and life normal once again.

Symptoms of Nicotine Withdrawal

Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes and is why it can be so hard to stop smoking when you’re ready. It affects the mind and the body, so expect to feel withdrawal both physically and emotionally.Some of the common symptoms include:

Whennicotine enters the brain from the bloodstream, it docks at receptor sites, which causes a hormone called dopamine to be released. This chemical reaction creates a rush of good feelings for the smoker. Dopamine is thought to play a major role in the addictive process.

As smokers, we come to expect this dopamine rush many times a day, and when it’s removed, our minds will work overtime to try to convince us thatwhat we need to do is light up a cigarette now—right now.

For most new ex-smokers, this inner dialogue is a constant companion for the first several days of smoking cessation. It’s not pleasant, but it is normal. If you candistract yourselfand refrain from smoking, it will be easier to weather until it eases up and eventually disappears.

Healing Isn’t a Straight Line

This is an important piece of information to hold close as you move through the first year of smoking cessation. Nicotine addiction lets go of us in stages, and because much of the healing takes place on a mental level, thoughts can trigger feelings that causesmoking urges to bubble upmonths into the process.

We worry that we’re losing ground with our quit program or thatwe’ll always miss smokingwhen this happens, but neither is true.

Think of the ups and downs you’re feeling as a necessary part of the process. A bad day where you miss smoking but don’t light up is still moving you forward. With time, your days will be less about missing smoking and more about enjoying the freedom that smoking cessation returns to you.

Expect Benefits to Unfold

Most smokers expect to feel physically better and have more money in their pockets, but thepositive aspects of overcoming addictionwill reach into more nooks and crannies of your life than you can probably imagine. Some benefits will show up soon after quitting, and others will unfold in time. Your new smoke-free life will make you wonder why you waited so long to quit.

A Word From Verywell

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time.Schaffer SD, Yoon S, Zadezensky I.A review of smoking cessation: potentially risky effects on prescribed medications.J Clin Nurs.2009;18(11):1533-40. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02724.xBenowitz NL.Pharmacology of nicotine: addiction, smoking-induced disease, and therapeutics.Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009;49:57–71. doi:10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.48.113006.094742American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th edition. Washington DC; 2013.National Cancer Institute.Cravings & Triggers.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time.Schaffer SD, Yoon S, Zadezensky I.A review of smoking cessation: potentially risky effects on prescribed medications.J Clin Nurs.2009;18(11):1533-40. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02724.xBenowitz NL.Pharmacology of nicotine: addiction, smoking-induced disease, and therapeutics.Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009;49:57–71. doi:10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.48.113006.094742American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th edition. Washington DC; 2013.National Cancer Institute.Cravings & Triggers.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Cancer Society.Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time.Schaffer SD, Yoon S, Zadezensky I.A review of smoking cessation: potentially risky effects on prescribed medications.J Clin Nurs.2009;18(11):1533-40. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02724.xBenowitz NL.Pharmacology of nicotine: addiction, smoking-induced disease, and therapeutics.Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009;49:57–71. doi:10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.48.113006.094742American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th edition. Washington DC; 2013.National Cancer Institute.Cravings & Triggers.

American Cancer Society.Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time.

Schaffer SD, Yoon S, Zadezensky I.A review of smoking cessation: potentially risky effects on prescribed medications.J Clin Nurs.2009;18(11):1533-40. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02724.x

Benowitz NL.Pharmacology of nicotine: addiction, smoking-induced disease, and therapeutics.Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009;49:57–71. doi:10.1146/annurev.pharmtox.48.113006.094742

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th edition. Washington DC; 2013.

National Cancer Institute.Cravings & Triggers.

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