The journey to nicotine-free: How long does it take to fully recover from smoking cessation?

The first step to quitting smoking is to get your head right! You have to want to stop smoking! Make that decision, decide how yoursquo;re going to do it, come up with a game plan, and then stick to it!

Your body will give you the greatest uphill battle as it goes through withdrawals. You will need to learn how to work around those symptoms until a good while after you realize that you are actually starting to win that battle! Donrsquo;t make the mistake of thinking that now yoursquo;re getting past the withdrawals, yoursquo;ve won. You havenrsquo;t! Itrsquo;s like taking a dose of antibiotics; you have to go the whole way otherwise, yoursquo;ll slip back into it!

The transition: mentality vs. body

If your mindset is right, your body will give you grief. But remember… the tail doesnrsquo;t wag the dog! Yoursquo;re in charge of this. Eventually, your body will get past this too. It will start cleaning itself. If yoursquo;re at the point where yoursquo;re coughing up black shit, your sense of taste and your sense of smell have vastly improved, and you find yoursquo;ve got tons more energy, then yoursquo;re on the home straight!

When is your body truly nicotine-free?

Nicotine will leave your bloodstream within 1–3 days, but the average timescale for people overcoming nicotine addiction is around 3 months. Itrsquo;s worth noting that according to the American Cancer Society, there are effective methods to aid in quitting, such as nicotine patches, gum, and other helpful ideas.

For those like me, who smoked for 30 years, reducing the usage of cigarettes incrementally helped the transition. I cut down to one last pack and then crushed them, replacing the last cigarettes with a determined mindset to beat the addiction. It took a significant commitment and time, but I donrsquo;t smoke anymore, and it has been 23 years since then.

Mindset is key

A strong mindset and resolve are crucial in overcoming the addiction. The mental toughness and the determination to avoid cravings are critical. Never substitute nicotine with vaping, as it still involves the addiction. Patches or nicotine gum are beneficial because they are for a limited time.

Itrsquo;s important to identify and avoid triggers, such as alcohol or social situations where you may be tempted to smoke. If you quit for a week and find it tolerable, continue pushing through the discomfort. When a craving arises, tell yourself you will have a cigarette in 10 minutes if you still want one; usually, the craving dissipates within 5 minutes.

Soon enough, those around you will stop asking about your progress, and you will build a new routine without the need to smoke. However, once you start down the road of quitting, it is challenging to go back. As I found, you donrsquo;t want to fall back into it because then yoursquo;d have to start over, and they no longer smell good.

I also had a personal experience with COVID-19 in April 2020, where being on a ventilator and in a coma for 17 days taught me that I could not have survived if I was still a smoker. This experience reinforced my resolve to avoid the cigarettes that could have led to death.

In conclusion, the journey to nicotine-free starts with a strong mental commitment. Once you make the decision, it might take 3 months for your body to be completely rid of nicotine, but mentally, you may still struggle for years. The key is to be determined, avoid triggers, and have faith that quitting smoking is the best decision you can make for your health.