This is nicotine withdrawal, which causes your cravings. After quitting smoking, it takes between 3 and 4 days for nicotine to fully leave your body. You can expect each craving to last about 10 to 20 minutes and then pass. Typically, cravings are strongest in people who smoked the longest. But luckily, these initial cravings are short-lived.
While it will take your brain chemistry up to three months to return to normal, cravings usually begin to lessen in strength and frequency after the first week, and are usually gone completely in one to three months. Here are a few ways that may help you:. Think back to when you were smoking. Was there a time of day you always reached for a cigarette? Maybe it was when you first woke up. Or after dinner. Was it when you were stressed? These moments are triggers, times when a craving is most likely to strike.
If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. When nicotine starts to leave the body after smoking tobacco, people experience physical and psychological withdrawal effects.
Nicotine is the addictive substance found in tobacco products, such as cigarettes and cigars. Once the body adapts to regular nicotine intake, people find giving up smoking difficult because of the uncomfortable symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms usually peak after 1—3 days and then decrease over a period of 3—4 weeks. After this time, the body has expelled most of the nicotine, and the withdrawal effects are mainly psychological.
Understanding nicotine withdrawal symptoms can help people to manage while they quit smoking. This article will discuss nicotine withdrawal, including its symptoms and tips on how to cope with them. When someone uses a nicotine product, such as a cigarette, they absorb the nicotine through the lining of their nose, mouth, and lungs. From these locations, it enters the bloodstream. When nicotine reaches the brain, it activates areas concerned with feelings of pleasure and reward and boosts levels of a chemical called dopamine.
When people use nicotine for an extended period, it leads to changes in the balance of chemical messengers in their brain.
When a person stops using nicotine quickly, they disrupt this chemical balance and experience physical and psychological side effects, such as cravings and low mood. Experts describe this disruption of brain chemicals as nicotine addiction , and it is part of the reason why people find it so difficult to reduce or quit smoking.
The physical side effects only last for a few days while the nicotine leaves the body, but the psychological side effects can continue for much longer. Some people may feel the physical side effects more strongly than others. Some will experience mild symptoms for a few days, whereas others may have intense cravings and symptoms that last several weeks.
Withdrawal symptoms set in between 4 and 24 hours after a person smokes their last cigarette. The symptoms peak around day 3 of quitting and then gradually subside over the following 3 to 4 weeks.
For some, the cravings can last longer than other symptoms, and familiar places, people, or situations where someone used to smoke can trigger them. Two hours after the last cigarette, the body will have already removed around half of the nicotine.
The levels of nicotine continue to drop for the next few days until it no longer affects the body. Alongside the withdrawal symptoms, people will also begin to notice positive changes.
These can be improvements in their sense of smell and taste, less coughing, and easier breathing, particularly when exercising. Quitting nicotine can be difficult because the addiction is both physical and psychological. Many people benefit from various kinds of support during the period of nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine replacement therapy NRT is where a person stops using tobacco and uses one of the following substances that contain smaller amounts of nicotine instead:.
There is no research to suggest that one method is more effective than another. Combining different types of NRT could have a stronger effect than a single method alone. Or, try downloading a quit smoking app on your phone. You can check the app any time you are craving a cigarette. If you're having trouble managing your cravings, talk to your doctor about your options. Some people find nicotine replacement therapy NRT a useful method to stay away from cigarettes.
NRT gives your body small doses of nicotine without the toxic chemicals in cigarettes. NRT comes in lozenges, mouth sprays, gum, and patches. Talk to your doctor about the best type of NRT for you.
There are also medications to help you quit smoking such as Zyban bupropion and Chantix varenicline tartrate ; however, these may be most effective when taken before quitting smoking, so it's best to talk to your doctor. Try not to fear the ups and downs that come with quitting smoking. Although you might be feeling frustrated by cravings, all of this discomfort can pass in time if you just keep applying yourself to your goal of staying smoke-free, one day at a time.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. So you're ready to finally quit smoking? Our free guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get yours today.
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