What Happens When You Quit Smoking

By Author: JohnDBacon
Total Articles: 5
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Quitting smoking is tough: ask anyone who has tried it unsuccessfully, and they will tell you what happens when you quit smoking.

Most of the failed attempts to Nicotine Pouches involve stories of jitters, headaches, weight gain, and fatigue, or in some cases worse, such as careless accidents, fights with spouses, etc.

The good news is that this is temporary. Ask someone who has done it successfully, and they'll answer the "what happens when you quit smoking" question much differently.

We'll get to the positive later in this article, but first, we'll deal with the quit smoking challenge.

The first challenge in quitting smoking is dealing with Nicotine Pouches. If you're not familiar with nicotine, it is one of the odd 4,000 chemicals found in cigarettes.

It is the prime component. Many of the other chemicals were added by cigarette manufacturers (big tobacco) to deliver nicotine to the brain, lungs, and bloodstream more effectively.

A single cigarette typically ...
... provides the smoker with a one and 3-milligram dose of nicotine, resulting in all sorts of psychoactive effects.

The first is the release of epinephrine (adrenaline), which causes stimulation; the benefits are often relaxation, sharpness, calm, and alertness.
In many cases, a stimulated metabolism also comes into play. What happens when you quit smoking is the opposite.

Most former nicotine addicts have reported decreased heart rate, difficulty concentrating, headaches, insomnia, and depression during the initial stages.

Perhaps the most significant reason that nicotine is so addictive is its effects on the brain. This is sometimes referred to in layman's terms as "mental addiction."

What occurs is nicotine causes the brain to allow excessive production of dopamine. This is the brain's key neurotransmitter that stimulates the effect of pleasure and euphoria.

The danger of this is not so much physical as it is mental. To go back to layman's terms, this can be explained by saying: the subconscious begins to identify certain feelings and actions with smoking.
This results in withdrawal-like symptoms becoming intensified when these same feelings and actions occur without a cigarette accompanying them.

So, in short, what happens when you quit smoking, once the nicotine addiction has passed, is that your subconscious frequently provides your brain and consciousness with reminders of all the great benefits cigarettes (nicotine) once provided you with.

This is why cigarettes are often said to be as, or more, addictive than cocaine and heroin. The nicotine addiction is small and passes rather quickly, while the mental obsession is healthy and very difficult to break.

Here is the "what happens when you quit smoking" good news. If you stopped smoking this moment, putting out the final cigarette of your life, here is what will happen according to this article.

In 20 minutes, your blood pressure will be normal again.

In 8 hours, your oxygen levels will be standard, while the number of toxins in your bloodstream will be reduced by 50 percent.

In 48 hours, your body will be free of all nicotine, your sense of taste and smell will increase, and your chance of heart attack will be significantly reduced.

In 72 hours, your energy levels will increase.

In 2 weeks, your blood circulation is close to normal and expected within three additional months.

In 6 months, your lung capacity will be improved by 10 percent.

In one year: your risk of heart attack will be 50 percent less.

In 5 years, your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.

In 10 years, your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.

In 15 years, your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.

As you can see, what happens when you quit smoking is all a matter of perspective.
You can focus on the short-term withdrawals or the long-term benefits. You also might consider concentrating on the pocketbook, as less money going to packs of cigarettes means a lot more money in the wallet.

For actual stop smoking tips, including methods for quitting smoking and products to help quit smoking, continue to navigate our website. Over two dozen articles on the topic can be found.

Writer & author about healthcare