Coping With The Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

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Nicotine withdrawal begins from a person's body within 20-30 minutes of having the last cigarette. Physical condition from withdrawal is a temporary phase. This phase is known as 'quitter's flu' as it will make you experience a cold or mild flu. Different people experience the physical withdrawal symptoms differently. Some of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms are- cravings to smoke, irritability, constipation, gas, severe headaches, stomach pain, sore throat, cough, and dry mouth. However you are not likely to suffer from all the symptoms at the same time.

There are certain coping skills to deal with these withdrawal symptoms. They are described as below:

1) Delay the cravings for 3-5 minutes as this is the time required for the smoking urge to pass.
2) Engage yourself in some attractive work as soon as you feel the urge.
3) Drink as much water as you can to fight off the cravings.
4) Either go for a walk or meet friends who do not smoke.
5) Whenever you feel the cravings, take a deep breath and try to relax by closing your eyes.
6) Regular exercise is a great way to unwind. It can do wonders for your health and will help you fight cravings.
7) Get some good rest. Sleep also helps in reducing the urge. If you are experiencing insomnia, you should go for a long walk before going to sleep.
8) You should do whatever you feel like doing, for example, taking a hot bath or reading a book. In this way you would be able to relax and the urge to smoke will gradually diminish.
9) Discuss your plans of smoking cessation with someone close to you. Ask him/her to support you in your program.
10) Reward yourself on every smoke free day as you truly deserve it.

Remember that it is a temporary phase associated with quitting. Do not let the symptoms scare you as when this temporary phase ends, you can reap the benefits of quitting for your whole life. You will experience a sense of accomplishment after successfully kicking the habit. You will have more control over yourself and your life once you get rid of this bad habit.