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Withdrawal Symptoms

What happens when you stop smoking?

The biggest hurdles to any smoker trying to quit are the withdrawal symptoms from starving the body/mind of Nicotine. Nicotine causes the release of Dopamine, which is one of the neurotransmitters responsible for addiction. Dopamine acts naturally in the brain under normal circumstances to cause the sensation of pleasure however nicotine, alcohol, heroin, and other substances can cause the Dopamine pathway to act unnaturally. This leads to enhanced or chemically induced dopamine release thus leading to an addiction to whatever substance caused its release. Once addicted, if you starve yourself from any chemicals that you have accustomed yourself to the brain reacts unnaturally since it needs its dopamine fix and can lead to withdrawal.

Many smokers have reported different types/degrees of withdrawal. Most withdrawal symptoms can be broken down into either physical or psychological symptoms:

Physical Withdrawal Symptoms

Physical withdrawal symptoms involve the body and what it may feel like from a physical standpoint to quit smoking. It could be argued that some of these are more psychological than physical however at the end of the day the body and mind are inextricably tied together.

Examples of physical withdrawal symptoms:

Tightness in the chest Difficulty Concentrating
Insomnia Sore Throat
Headaches Indigestion, Constipation, Nausea

Psychological Symptoms of Withdrawal

Psychological withdrawal symptoms are those that are caused by the changes in brain chemistry that occur and may not be something you physically feel, but emotionally feel instead.

Examples of psychological withdrawal symptoms:

Cravings and yearnings Depression Hunger and Increased Appetite