Quitting Smoking: Getting Through the 7 Stages | Snushus

Quitting smoking is certainly no easy task, as the body and brain have become accustomed to years of nicotine consumption. When you quit smoking, you go through different phases marked by various symptoms.

In this article, we want to summarize these phases and also introduce you to alternatives to cigarettes.

Phases of Quitting Smoking

These 7 phases will surely be familiar to you if you have ever tried to quit smoking.

1. Making a Decision

In the first phase, you make the decision to finally quit smoking and recognize that the positive effects of not smoking outweigh the negatives. In this phase, it is especially important to stay strong and not set unrealistic goals. After the last cigarette, you should try to avoid bars or places where people often smoke as much as possible.

What happens in the body: Already after the first 8 hours of quitting smoking, oxygen transport in the body gradually normalizes. The oxygen level in the blood increases and carbon monoxide is gradually broken down.

2. The First Withdrawal Symptoms: Irritability

Shortly after the first hours without a cigarette, physical and psychological symptoms appear. One of the first is increased irritability. For the body, it feels as if it is constantly sleep-deprived, and even small tasks can become a challenge. Additional complaints include nervousness, restlessness, sleep disturbances, and headaches.

What happens in the body: After the first day without a cigarette, the risk of a heart attack is already reduced and continues to decrease with each day. So it’s worth sticking with it!

3. The Craving for a Cigarette Increases: Experience Helps!

After a short time of quitting smoking, all thoughts will soon revolve around smoking. In this phase, it is especially important to distract yourself with other activities. Exercising or meeting friends seems to be the most helpful.

It is also recommended to talk to former smokers and ask about their experiences, as a little positive motivation can help you persevere.

What happens in the body: After a few days of not smoking, breathing is noticeably better because the carbon monoxide level continues to decrease.

4. Hunger Sets In

Without a cigarette in your mouth, your mouth gets bored, and we try to compensate with sweets or snacks. For this reason, many smokers suddenly gain weight after quitting. To avoid unnecessary pounds, you should focus on eating healthy snacks that stimulate fat burning.

What happens in the body: After the first weeks without a cigarette, the body begins to cleanse itself. The lungs and circulatory system stabilize with each passing day.

5. Irrationalities

Along with the physical symptoms of withdrawal, psychological stress also sets in. Negative thoughts can cause us to lose motivation and reach for a cigarette again. During this time, a good social environment is especially important.

Quitting smoking and coughing: In the first months without cigarettes, the airways are cleaned, and complaints such as coughing fits and shortness of breath decrease.

Quitting smoking and the lungs: The lungs regain their normal function after 1 to 9 months, and narrowed coronary arteries (a cause of heart attacks) begin to reverse after about a year of not smoking.

6. Recognizing Positive Effects

Shortly after quitting smoking, negative thoughts dominate, but this time passes! The positive effects become increasingly clear, and physical performance and concentration improve.

7. Staying Strong

Nicotine addiction does not simply disappear after a few months, and even a single cigarette can lead to a relapse. It is therefore important to stick with it permanently and never put a cigarette in your mouth again.

Active smokers have a 10 to 15 times higher risk of developing lung cancer than non-smokers. With each day without a cigarette, this risk decreases.

Snus as an Alternative to Smoking

An alternative to smoking is the use of Snus. Since no combustion process takes place with Snus, it is considered a smoke-free alternative to cigarettes. Snus can be obtained with a high nicotine content of 43 mg/g, as with Siberia Red -80 Degrees, or with less nicotine, such as Odens Cold Extreme with 22 mg/g. For people who want to quit smoking, we recommend the nicotine-free variant edel CBD Mint.

We believe in the potential of Snus for smoking and nicotine cessation and will therefore add more nicotine-free Snus products to our range in the coming weeks. To keep the nicotine-free Snus from being too boring, there will also be products with caffeine!