Some people feel sick when they quit smoking.
Is this normal and what can be done about it? Find out more in this article.
There are some smokers who, when they try to quit, they feel sick or nauseous.
This can be quite common when coming off an addiction but the good news is that something can be done about this.
Why Do People Get Sick? When smokers give up using willpower methods then they will crave cigarettes afterwards.
This craving can manifest itself in many different ways in different people.
Most people will get a feel or irritability.
Some people will get a headache.
And other people may even feel like they need to throw up.
This is all because they were addicted to cigarettes and now are refusing to smoke them.
It's the addiction's way of getting them to smoke again - making life without cigarettes as unbearable as possible.
If you are feeling sick right now then do not start smoking cigarettes again.
Don't worry, the feeling will pass and it will not last long, certainly no longer than a day.
Drink plenty of fluids and call in sick if necessary.
So, how can we reduce the chances of sickness happening in the first place? Let's look at the different quitting methods.
Using Willpower Alone This is often called "quitting cold turkey".
It's when a smoker just stops smoking, often they have planned a "quit date".
For most people, this is the most stressful way of quitting.
To go from one day with cigarettes to the next day without them.
Most smokers find that they need immense willpower to succeed this way.
And because of the huge willpower and stresses then this is the method most likely to make you sick.
It's also the method least likely to give you success.
Cutting Down/Using Patches Whether you cut down on cigarettes or on patches, the effect is the same - you are cutting down on nicotine before quitting cigarettes.
If you do it this way, then there will still be a shock to your system but it will be much less than previously.
So, you are less likely to be sick and even if you are, it will be for less time.
Hypnosis/Laser Treatment Hypnosis, acupuncture and laser treatment are all similar methods.
What they do is to almost make your cravings disappear.
So when you quit, you are extremely unlikely to feel sick at all.
The problem is that the cravings only disappear temporarily.
So, they will come back after a few days or weeks.
But you'll still be extremely unlikely to feel sick.
Other Methods There are some other methods that are used successfully by a minority of ex-smoker where you never get any cravings at all.
This is the idea way because the quitting process is not stressful and you never get sick.