Addictionalso plays a powerful role in keeping people smoking.
How to Cope With This Fear
Usingnicotineto relax is only a temporary fix.
As soon as your body rids itself of these chemicals, you start to crave more.
Simon McGill / Getty Images
Over time, as the body begins to adapt to the nicotine, it responds far less.
As a result, you gotta increase the frequency of your smoking to achieve the desired effect.
Though that initial hit of nicotine might feel relaxing, smoking actually worsens your mental health over time.
Remember that nicotine withdrawal is only temporary.
Most people only experience withdrawal for three to four weeks after quitting smoking.
You might consider consulting with a mental healthcare professional to help manage your feelings.
Call a friend, orjournal your feelings.
see to it to also do things that you enjoy.
You want to see to it you’rerewarding yourselfwhen you quit smokingreinforcing to yourself the positive behavior of quitting.
NRT may help you to ween off of nicotine with much milder withdrawal symptoms than going cold turkey.
Fear of Weight Gain
Gaining weightis another common symptom of withdrawal.
On average, people gain 5 to 10 pounds in the months after they quit smoking.
Since smoking can suppress your appetite, you might find yourself eating more after you quit.
Other times, people resort to eating as a coping mechanism when they quit smoking.
You might reach for food to replace the hand-to-mouth action that you used to fulfill with smoking.
While you may not want to gain extra pounds, quitting smoking alsoimproves your healthin many important ways.
Try getting outside and taking a walk for at least 30 minutes a day.
you might even walk up and down your stairs or do a quick workout video online.
Or, maybe you’ve tried to quit before and have been unsuccessful.
Start by keeping apositive mindset.
Though you may be worried you’ll fail, try tovisualizewhat your life will be like without smoking.
Relapsingdoesn’t mean you’ve failed either.
Consult with your doctor about the best options for you.
A Word From Verywell
It’s normal to have fears about quitting smoking.
Though it can be challenging, know that you do have the power to quit.
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