Wondering How Long Does Nicotine Withdrawal Last?
If your thinking about quitting, your probably asking yourself “How long does nicotine withdrawal last? Oh man, is this gonna’ to suck as bad as I think it is???” When you start thinking about quitting, there’s one thing on your brain, nicotine withdrawal. Every nicotine user has at one point been caught unable to get that little fix and experienced it. Nicotine users do everything in their power to avoid withdrawal.
They do everything in their power to get that fix before it gets that far, so that they don’t have to ask themselves the question “How long does nicotine withdrawal last?” Even the most unorganized people, who never plan anything, plan ahead when it comes to their nic fix. It is amazing how many dippers and smokers who loose their keys all the time, somehow never loose their tins or packs. The urge to steer clear of nicotine withdrawal is powerful.
That’s enough of that, lets get down to business and answer the question your here to get an answer to, how long does nicotine withdrawal last.
How Long Does Nicotine Withdrawal Take When You Quit Chewing Tobacco?
How long does nicotine withdrawal take?
Each and every quitter and quit are very different, but when you decide to quit chewing tobacco cold turkey, there are two major withdrawal hurdles you must overcome. If your wondering how long does nicotine withdrawal last, chances are you will have to deal with these when you do decide to quit. Here is a breakdown of these two and how long they usually last in most quitters.
The first and shorter term hurdle is the physical withdrawal. The physical is your bodies response to the removal of nicotine, it hits hard and violent during the first few days and weeks of your quit, then slowly dissipates.
The second and longer term hurdle is the psychological withdrawal. The psychological is more of a mind game, and can stick around for months, but know that with time this portion of the withdrawal lessens and even though it still lingers within you, it gets easier and easier to ignore the further out you get.
Physical Withdrawal – How Long Does Nicotine Withdrawal Last?
To answer the question, how long does nicotine withdrawal last, you must first tackle the physical symptoms. Nicotine’s physical withdrawal peaks at 72 hours and usually only lasts 14 to 21 days.
The severity in most quitters usually eases up around the 10 day mark. Some say that nicotine is completely out of your system by day three of cold turkey quitting, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean that the physical withdrawal symptoms are gone with it.
Nicotine stimulates glands, releasing increased levels of dopamine in the pleasure receptors in your brain and causing a euphoric and relaxed feeling. It also stimulates glands in your brain that release adrenaline into the blood, which tells cells in your body to dump their glucose stores into your blood stream. Both cause a burst of energy and the feeling of a rush. When the nicotine is removed, so are these unnatural chemical functions. The physical withdrawal you feel is a lack of these chemical functions and a rewiring of your brain trying to relearn how to preform these functions like a ‘normal’ body does.
Psychological Withdrawal – How Long Does Nicotine Withdrawal Last?
The psychological withdrawal is not as difficult to deal with, but also peaks at 72 hours and progressively gets easier through about 100 days. So if you want to know just how long does nicotine withdrawal last, this should answer the long term withdrawal portion of that question.
The psychological withdrawal is what you would consider the habit. Wanting to dip or chew while driving, working, changing your oil or mowing the lawn. No matter the task, these trigger a craving or thought of dipping because you have known nicotine in that situation for however long you dipped. Like a child who sucks their thumb or needs a blanket. Chewing is your safe zone. Each and every trigger event that you face and conquer makes the following event less dramatic. With time, they become weaker and much easier to handle. After the first few months they become so weak that you can push through most without even a thought.