The Bad Things to Expect if You Quit Smoking

This might seem to be a strange article to be posting on a website about electronic cigarettes.... After all, the 'powers that be' have decreed, in no uncertain terms and in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, that e-cigs and vaping ARE NOT smoking cessation aids. 

Let me say that one more time; Despite all the evidence to the contrary, e-cigs and vaping ARE NOT smoking cessation aids.

By posting this article, we are not, in any way, even implying anything that might damage pharmaceutical companies market shares or the highly profitable, Charity Industries dependent on your not being successful in your attempts to stop smoking.

This article is presented simply as an informational article; to let you know, what you can expect to happen, if you, like so many thousands of others, choose to quit smoking.

Just Being Honest

As terrible as this is going to sound, when you first quit smoking everything is not going to be champagne and roses. Don't fool yourself. You aren't going to feel all those marvellous health benefits right away. You are going to have some issues to deal with and, they are not going to be pleasant. 

These are the things most blogs won’t talk about, but at Exhale Cigarettes we believe in telling you the whole truth, not just the parts you want to hear.

Mood Shifts

Nicotine causes the brain to release Dopamine. That is why smoking helps relieve stress and makes us feel good. When we suddenly no longer have this chemical stimulus, the effects on our mood can be very extreme. The most most common feelings reported are;

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Being Easily Angered
  • Extreme Mood Swings

Sleeplessness

This is another side effect of the Dopamine loss you suffer when you cut or eliminate your nicotine intake. Many people report having trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep or even full fledged insomnia. If this lasts for more than a couple of weeks you may want to see a doctor for help.

Cough and Chest Pain

One of the effects smoking has on your lungs is that it causes a paralysis of the small hair like structures in  your lungs. These 'hairs' carry contaminants out of the lungs keeping them clean and healthy. When you quit smoking these 'hairs' get unclogged and things start moving again and whilst that is good, it may not be a lot of fun.

Your lungs start trying to clean themselves. You are going to be coughing up gunk. Chunks of tar and phlegm commonly called 'lung biscuits'. Along with this process, you may experience bouts of chest pain and these can even feel similar to a heart attack. Just remember; this is part of the process so try not to panic.

Weight Gain

This one surprisingly seems to bother more people than anything else on our list. Nicotine is an appetite suppressant. It should come as no surprise then that when you eliminate it from your system, there is going to be a rebound effect.

You are going to be hungry as your body seeks the satisfaction that it once got from smoking. Try to fight it.

And....

There are a couple of other things that have a very slight chance of occurrence. One of those is mouth ulcers, and the other very, very rare thing is fainting spells.

These may not be pleasant things to ponder but, for every gain in life, there is a price to pay. The main thing is to remember why you are going through it, and how great you are going to feel when these 'side-effects' have passed.

Oh! Almost forgot to tell you; vaping may not be a smoking cessation aid, but some say it does help you avoid these withdrawal effects.

For the truth as we see it and the latest happenings in the e-cig world, be sure to like the Exhale Cigarettes fan page on Facebook.

6th Feb 2015 Dan@exhale

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