In France, 25% of adults smoke daily. Whatever your age, and your daily cigarette consumption, the project to quit smoking is the best decision to make. Except that sometimes, we find ourselves a little lost. Some testimonies show that a sudden stop is the most judicious. Others, on the contrary, explain that weaning was only successful because it had been prepared beforehand.
The bronchi remain sensitive for 4 to 8 weeks
Already, it is necessary to evacuate a received idea. There is no risk or danger in stopping overnight. The downside is that you will go through complicated times due to withdrawal. It’s just the body that has to get used to a life without cigarette smoke again. You may have difficulty breathing. In fact, it is a normal reaction of your bronchial tubes. During the years of smoking, they suffered from the passage of smoke. From now on, they will have to “work” to remove the tobacco residues. This period lasts about 4 to 8 weeks when they will remain sensitive, and slightly irritated. It takes time for your body to relearn a tobacco-free life.
Hurting yourself for nothing?
“In fact, the hardest part is not to stop smoking, it is not to resume!” notes Dr. Cutarella. According to him, quitting overnight is not the best solution. “A sudden withdrawal means that we will hurt ourselves for nothing, that we will expose ourselves to a big lack, we will be nervous, and above all, success is not guaranteed in the long term. But the goal it’s to think about your will to quit. You have to weigh the reasons for smoking and the advantages of quitting. From this reflection, you make a decision “, advises the specialist.
The list of constraints imposed by cigarettes
The ideal is therefore to prepare in advance. For example, we can ask ourselves and think about the constraints that cigarettes impose on us. Do I want to keep running for open tobacco at any time? Do I want my skin or my hair to always smell like stale tobacco? That my apartment still smells of smoke? That a large part of my budget is spent on cigarettes? When we think deeply about the consequences of tobacco in our daily lives, they speak louder than when we talk about the risks of diseases that seem less concrete. By preparing your stop gradually, you put a lot more chances on your side for a final stop.
“If you feel that you don’t have willpower alone, you absolutely have to get help. There are very effective behavioral or cognitive therapies today. And nicotine substitutes that will help you get over this course”, underlines Dr. Cutarella. In any case, there should be no additional obstacles to a decision that is already difficult to make. This is the most important thing to take into account.
Also read:
- Tobacco, a (less well-known) risk factor for female cancers
- Why should you stop smoking before surgery?
- Can you stop smoking without putting on weight?
- Female smoking in 6 preconceived ideas