Withdrawal Symptoms: What To Expect

Withdrawal. Whatever you’ve heard about it is probably true. Withdrawal symptoms are like a fierce enemy, armed with irritability, sleeplessness, and cravings. It’s no wonder the first week after quitting has been called Hell Week. That’s the bad news. BUT…if you could somehow avoid the worst of nicotine withdrawal, quitting would be a cinch, right? Well, here’s the good news. There are specific steps you can take to help ease withdrawal symptoms and put the enemy in its place.

There is no point in lying to you or sugar-coating the truth. You might have hard times ahead. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can last anywhere from a week to a month, depending on how much you smoke or dip. But information is power, so it makes sense that the more info you have about quitting, the more prepared you’ll be to combat the cravings. Check out the list of withdrawal symptoms below for information and tips on how to handle them.

Anger or irritability

You know that one. Your CO asks where something is and you want to tell him to go find it himself and to leave you alone. Only you can’t do that. So instead you try to avoid him as much as possible. But that’s not going to work—which means you’ll have to deal with this symptom head on.

• Relax. Deep-breathing exercises help. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly until you feel yourself calm down. Picture a calm scene or repeat a calming phrase, like “take it easy,” to yourself.
• Keep an anger log. Write down the kinds of situations that make you irritable and keep track of your reactions.
• Count to 10. Yes, you’ve heard that before, but it really works! Taking a ‘time out’ can actually lower your anger level.

Insomnia (sleeplessness)

When you can’t sleep at night, it’s frustrating. The next morning you’re tired and worn out, but you still have a full day’s work ahead of you. Caffeine can only help so much and it may make you more irritable. You need a good night’s sleep. But how? Well, have you thought about using nicotine replacement? Nicotine-containing medicines (patch, gum, lozenge, inhaler, nasal spray) have been shown to improve insomnia for those trying to quit tobacco. Here are some other ways to help insomnia:

• Don’t watch TV, read, or do any activity that will stimulate your brain just before bed. You will keep thinking about what you just saw or read.
• Practice deep-breathing exercises throughout the day. It will help you stay relaxed all day, which will help you fall asleep at night.
• Imagine you have faucets at the end of each finger and toe. Each faucet is turned on and all the stress and tension in your body is draining out through these faucets. Focus on each part of your body.

Cravings

Ah, cravings. Those nagging feelings that are always in the back of your head telling you to have a smoke, dip, or some chew. It’s hard not to listen, especially when someone around you is smoking or chewing. What can be done?

• Try isometric exercise, which has been shown to reduce cravings. Isometric exercise is practiced by pushing an immovable object, like a wall, or by resisting your body’s muscles (pressing your palms together in front of you, for example).
• Use nicotine-replacement therapy. In addition to helping with insomnia, it also helps with cravings. Higher doses (35 mg or more) seem to help more, but women may have more side effects from the higher dose, at least in the short term.
• Focus your attention on something else. Cravings usually last for only a couple moments, so put your mental energy toward doing a crossword puzzle, playing a game, or reading the news online.

Difficulty Concentrating

Trying to focus on the job at hand and finding it hard? Join the club. Having trouble concentrating is a common nicotine withdrawal symptom. But there are some things you can do.

• Don’t leave a job totally up in the air, but don’t focus on any one activity for too long. Move to the next task so that you can refresh and refocus. Do different tasks to break up the day.
• Take a 10-minute break—gaze into a photo, look out a window, or close your eyes and relax. Or do some minor chores to get them out of the way.
• Try medications available from your doctor, such as bupropion (Zyban®, Wellbutrin®) and varenicline (Chantix®). They can help with withdrawal symptoms like having difficulty concentrating and cravings.

We never said quitting tobacco would be easy. But few things in life worth having are. Keep your eyes on the prize…your health and well-being are at risk if you don’t quit, so the initial discomfort is definitely worth your effort. Remember: you are part of a team, and there is always someone here to help you. This is a tough battle, but you don’t have to go it alone.