Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms are a Small Price to Pay

Doctors all around the world agree on one thing: the sooner you quit smoking the better your chances of not getting lung cancer and dying. It is a fact that smoking has killed millions and millions of people around the world and the Surgeon General’s 1982 announcement was that “"Cigarette smoking is the major single cause of cancer mortality in the United States." This remains true today although smoking-related deaths have gone down in 2009 according to the latest figures. This is due to more people stopping smoking and is a trend that is expected to continue. Young people are getting the word out because of school programs like DARE.

For most heavy smokers quitting cold turkey is not an appealing or realistic way to stop smoking. Smoking withdrawal symptoms are much worse when you quit all at once as opposed to a gradual quit smoking program. Many experts however will tell you that it is just like getting into a cold pool. You are better off just jumping in getting it over with. Even when you use the patch or nicotine gum or one of the newest designer drugs, you will still have smoking withdrawal symptoms, just not as pronounced.

We all know that going cold turkey will make you feel the smoking withdrawal symptoms stronger but what we are not told is that the symptoms will last for a much shorter period of time, just like jumping into the cold pool. If you can stand the smoking withdrawal symptoms then you can make a clean break.

Each year thousands of people quit smoking and a lot of them just go cold turkey. Most of these people succeed in cutting tobacco and cigarettes out of their lives for good. It is not because they have any special secret it is just that they are mentally tougher and able to withstand the smoking withdrawal symptoms without giving in.

Smoking withdrawal symptoms can vary from individual to individual but usually they are jittery nerves, hunger, and of course, a powerful craving to smoke. In a way you can really compare these smoking withdrawal symptoms to food withdrawal when you go on a diet. If you are eating a lot and then go on a drastic caloric reduction program you will feel headaches, irritation, weakness, light headedness, and other symptoms. But if you stick to the diet and don’t cheat you will get past the symptoms in two or three days. Smoking withdrawal symptoms may last a good while longer but one thing is for certain: the longer you go without smoking, the easier it gets to stop smoking.

You can do it. The health benefits of stopping smoking are many. Better heart health, circulation, blood pressure, digestion, you name it, stopping smoking will make it better. You will want to exercise more and you will have a tremendous surge in energy and mental acumen. So do yourself a favor. Whether it is with a patch or a supplement or just plain cold turkey, quit smoking today and start living again.