In trying to kick a smoking habit, it is necessary to take into account the benefits of a smoke free life – like significant improvements in health for yourself and your loved ones, whiter and better looking teeth, an absence of cigarette odor on your body and clothes, and others. Nevertheless, it is likewise important that you know what you’ll be dealing with. There are various hurdles that you need to conquer to be able to stop smoking. A majority of such difficulties may be based on outside variables, but most obstacles originate from inside your own body and take the form of side effects of smoking cessation.



An important element of defeating your smoking habit is awareness of what you will face. Realizing what lies ahead is the most ideal way to ready yourself for the side effects of smoking cessation. A lack of awareness about what lies ahead may impede you and distract you from quitting smoking. Even though the repercussions of smoking cessation can be highly difficult, bear in mind that these are merely passing and can be dealt with easily.

Physical and Psychological Repercussions of Quitting Smoking

The effects of smoking cessation can be grouped as physical and psychological. The first 2 weeks are believed to be the toughest, with symptoms exacerbating in 48-72 hours after stopping smoking. These side effects can fully subside within twelve weeks, and only then will you feel entirely comfortable again.

Psychological Side Effects

The initial psychological symptom of stopping smoking comprises irritability and/or anxiety, as well as an extreme impulse to start smoking again. In due time, you will probably suffer from a certain trembling your feet and/or hands, plus extreme sweating. Soon after, you may be overcome with deep depression that accompanies withdrawal. This first round of depression will likely appear as grief, like you are grieving the loss of something important. Your most ideal reaction is to just allow yourself to experience this sadness, bearing in mind that your grief is just a regular aspect of your own healing process. Permit yourself to come to terms with this grief and wait for the melancholy to pass. Besides depression, you can also encounter confusion, moon swings, insomnia, plus sensations akin to helplessness, neediness, and vulnerability.

Early depression can potentially develop to permanent depression, particularly in certain cases wherein the person involved is already previously predisposed.

Physical Side Effects

The physical side effects of smoking cessation are gastrointestinal conditions including stomach cramps, constipation, headaches, and nausea. You will likely additionally face various respiratory conditions including incessant colds as both lungs are starting to clear.

Further, a majority of smokers have been seen to gain excess weight after finally defeating their smoking addiction, though this may not apply to everyone. If your figure is your main issue, you are recommended to compensate with physical exercise.

Knowledge of the potential effects of smoking cessation can more effectively arm you for these symptoms as they appear. Keep in mind that these effects can commonly vanish after a few short weeks. The only long-term repercussion of quitting is a positive one, that of a general improvement in your health.