Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey, the Recovery Process

When a person quits smoking they can go through several withdrawal symptoms and the recovery process can be very difficult especially when they quit cold turkey. The recovery process can even more difficult for anyone who has been smoking for a long time.

Common nicotine withdrawal symptoms are:

Insomnia and lack of energy
Headaches
Weight gain and significant increase in appetite
Irritability and tension
Cigarette cravings
Problems with concentration

When a person quits smoking it is like recovering from a disease. While it may take several years for your body to fully recover, the body will almost immediately begin the recovery process as soon as you make the decision not smoke again. Unfortunately though once you make the decision to quit there are several different issues a person will have to deal with as they begin their recovery.

Within the first 20 minutes after a person stops smoking their blood pressure and heart rate will be back at a normal level.

Approximately 12 hours after a person stops smoking, the blood oxygen saturation level has started to normalize and the nicotine levels in the blood have already dropped to 20% of their level as a smoker.

Approximately 24 hours after quitting, the person will start to feel anxiety and begin the withdrawal process that comes with quitting.

Approximately 24 to 36 hours after a person's stops smoking, the person will likely to be extremely irritable and they will start to experience intense sensations to smoke however each as time passes the cravings will subside, as well as their irritability. As time goes by the person's lungs will start to heal and the person will notice it will begin to get easier to breathe.

After approximately a week, the person will start to have fewer withdrawal symptoms.

After approximately two weeks time the person should not be able to feel withdrawal symptoms anymore and the overwhelming urge to smoke will have subsided.

After one year of quitting smoking a person that once smoked will have decreased their risk of coronary problems by about half of that of a person who still smokes. As well as over the next few years other risks for disease will recover and a person will have approximately the same risks as any other non-smoker.

The risks for diseases such as stroke, lung cancer, tooth loss and ultimately coronary disease will decline significantly and after approximately 15 years a person's risk can be the same as anyone who has never smoked.

References for this article include:
whyquit.com
www.quitsmoking.com/info/articles/cold-turkey.htm
www.highlighthealth.com/diseases-and-conditions/smoking-cessation-timeline-what-happens-when-you-quit