2024-01-22 19:42:46
We call withdrawal syndrome all of the symptoms which occur duringstop smoking. “There are smokers for whom quitting smoking goes very well, and others who have functional signs,” warns Dr. Rouzaud.
How does the body react after stopping smoking?
Stopping smoking can lead to many functional signs.
There may be fatigue, cough, constipation, a feeling of hunger, weight gain, irritability, an urge to smoke, etc., lists Dr Pierre Rouzaud, toxicologist and president of the association. Liberty Tobacco.
How to combat withdrawal symptoms?
The constipation
“Nicotine acts at the level of brainbut also other organs, and in particular the colon », Specifies Dr Rouzaud. “When you stop smoking, there is no longer stimulation intestinale morning cigarette. We can fight against this constipation by taking, in the morning, an iced lemon or orange juice which also provides vitamin C which people who stop smoking may need.
Tiredness
“It is subjective,” specifies the president of the Tabac Liberté association. It can be felt because the body no longer has the stimulating dose that nicotine provided it, but also because of the body detoxification process.
A study of theAmerican Psychological Association shows that the fatigue increases during the first six weeks stopping smoking, before regulating yourself. So you have to be patient.
Cough
By quitting smoking, we thought we would be rid of the cough. However, it is not. This is no reason to start again!
Coughing when stopping smoking is normal, reassures Dr. Rouzaud. The body recovers its mucociliary function in the trachea and bronchi, mucus is normally secreted again. The cough will disappear over the weeks.
What to do in the meantime? Suck on marshmallow candies or herbal tea with honey.
The feeling of hunger and weight gain
Nicotine increases basic metabolism, so when you stop smoking, you spend fewer calories which are then stored in adipocytes, explains the toxicologist.
A gain of 2 to 3 kg is common and normal. If the weight gain is greater than 3 kg, other explanations must be sought: “When stopping smoking, the ex-smoker regains the tastel’smell. At the table, odors will therefore whet your appetitet and lead him or her to eat more, warns the doctor.”
Another cause of this weight gain: snacking which replaces cigarettes. “In the evening, in particular, to combat the desire to smoke, stress, boredom, chocolate or a visit to the fridge replaces cigarettes,” says the doctor. A square of dark chocolate is fine, but a bar is 570 calories on average. It is therefore better not to swallow it in one evening and hide the tablet after having taken one or two squares maximum.
The urge to smoke
The memory of cigarettes remains very present.
80% of ex-smokers will keep this desire for a long time, even for life. Dr Rouzaud
Why can’t we get rid of it? ” There cigarette is a true companionboth in good times and bad, smokers have an emotional bond with it,” explains the president of Tabac Liberté.
How to manage the lack? There are many ways to overcome the urge to smoke: “we can brush your teeth, suggests the doctor, take expanders or a foam ball and do 10 exercises then sit down in an armchair and breathe in cardiac coherence for 5 minutes.” And, you must keep in mind that a desire is temporary, you must resist it, it will fade and then disappear in a few minutes.
Irritability
It is due to the desire to smoke, but also to a change in habit.
The smoker who stops smoking is disoriented, specifies the toxicologist. Cigarettes were ‘second nature’. So you have to give it time. Dr Rouzaud
Those around you must learn to manage this new situation. What to advise him? “You have to admit your neighbor as you admit yourself, with your weaknesses, show empathy, support and let the storm pass when there is one,” recommends the president of Tabac Liberté.
How long does smoking cessation last?
Each individual being different, his reactions are also in identical situations. For some smokers, quitting smoking goes very well. For others, it is more complicated.
Typically, the withdrawal syndrome passes between about 3 weeks and 1 month. Dr Rouzaud
How to avoid relapse and quit smoking for good?
There is two classic cases of relapse :
The watered meal : whether it is a hunters’ meal, a wedding, a communion, a family celebration or between friends, “this festive occasion is the cause of 90% of relapsesspecifies Dr. Rouzaud, because alcohol disinhibits and the smoker lets his guard down”;The stress important: in these difficult times, we must compensate. “The brain reminds the ex-smoker that in these complicated situations, the cigarette was there to help him, and this is the relapse,” specifies the doctor.
To limit the risk of relapse, several solutions exist. ” We can take a nicotine tablet or lozenge when the urge to smoke arises,” suggests the toxicologist. “Or resort to electronic cigarette. Initially, you must start with 16 to 20 mg of nicotine per milliliter then decrease little by little and finally stop completely because the alveoli of the lungs are not made to breathe vapor.” The electronic cigarette has really led to a decrease in the number of smokers: 1.7 million people have stopped smoking thanks to it.
CBT, hypnosis, sophrology: other solutions against relapses
“We must also think aboutcognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) which allow us to get to know ourselves,” suggests the doctor. Without forgetting other techniques such ashypnosis, the sophrology, depending on the character of each person.
Sophrology, help to alleviate withdrawal syndrome
« Stop smoking amounts to fight against an impulse », warns Clémentine Joachim, certified sophrologist*. “We must then replace an almost uncontrollable reflex, recorded by the body, with new, more positive automatisms.”
Changing your habits is far from easy, especially because the brain likes them and goes to the simplest way to save energy. “To create new neuronal connections, it takes time and training,” explains the sophrologist. There sophrologyinasmuch as psycho-corporeal methodproves to be an interesting aid in replacing bad habits with good ones, because it allows you to restore a good balance between body and mind.
How does it work during the withdrawal period?
“Sophrology intervenes on the side and undesirable effects of withdrawal such as nervousness, irritability, stress, sleep disorders, concentration disorders, lack of energy…”, lists Clémentine Joachim.
By what means ? What benefits?
“Controlled breathing associated with muscle relaxation promotes an almost immediate state of well-being, which allows you tosoothe bodily, mental and emotional tensions generated by the lack of cigarettes, explains the sophrologist. It also allows you to reconnect with your senses and, thus, become aware of the richness of your polysensory perception. Positive visualization acts to modify the smoker’s reflexes by replacing bad habits with new, positive ones. »
To sustainably anchor these new habits in the face of the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome, these practices must be repeated. “Indeed, positive actions, thoughts and feelings generate new positive actions, thoughts or feelings,” explains Clémentine Joachim. ” It’s the reward system. The more these positive actions are repeated (resisting a cigarette, controlling the urge to miss, controlling outbursts of stress, etc.), the more they generate positive feelings such as amplified breathing, more vitality, a certain pride, the more the body will register them and lastingly modify its habits.”
The sophrologist warns that as part of the support for a tobacco withdrawal syndrome, sophrology must be practiced in addition to medical monitoring. It does not replace it.
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