nicotine addiction

July 25, 2005 7:43 AM

So, I quit smoking some ten days ago. How long before my brain starts working properly again?

I've seen various accounts, with some people saying they were back to normal in a few days, and some saying it takes months. It's not the occasional urge to have a smoke that bothers me, it's the constantly agitated and restless mind. Other symptoms include a persistent mild headache, inability to sleep as much as I'd like, and a lack of whatever inhibition it is that normally keeps me from posting stuff to metafilter. So. How long on average does it take people to get over these symptoms, what's the standard deviation, and is there any way to make it go faster?

posted by sfenders to Health & Fitness (24 answers total)

One month, although it'll start getting better after two weeks.

That's what it took in my case.
posted by bshort at 8:01 AM on July 25, 2005

For me (I'm getting good at this quitting smoking lark) it usually takes about two weeks. Or, round about the time of the first smoking dream.
posted by handee at 8:04 AM on July 25, 2005

How much did you smoke? What did you do to quit (gum, patch, cold turkey)? These will be big factors in how long it takes.
posted by jjg at 8:06 AM on July 25, 2005

The short answer: never. Once you've sucked off the tasty tar teet, you'll never be able to go back to "normal". Human brains have a hard time unlearning knowledge or personal experiences, so there will always be the lingering desire.

The long answer: two weeks. The first three days were the worst for me, the first week not-so-hot either. The second week I was able to get by using the 5-minute method: basically, whenever you have a craving, just wait 5 minutes. For some reason, at that point the nicotine is pretty much out of your system, and all you're experiencing is a kind of addiction flashback that tends to go away in a couple of minutes. Just wait it out.

By the end of the second week, you'll start noticing that you can breathe easier (it keeps getting steadily better for the next couple of months, by the way), and if you're the sort of person who constantly cleared your throat (yum... mucus...) this should start to fade as well.

Just be careful of the one, two and three month "anniversaries." For some reason, these are prime-time re-starting periods for people.

Your mileage, naturally, may vary.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:11 AM on July 25, 2005

You also might start to feel sick soon as your lungs realize what's going on. You could have a nasty cought for a while while things rearrange themselves in there. Be happy about it, it's a good thing.
posted by garethspor at 9:15 AM on July 25, 2005

I had major mental/distraction problems for about two weeks.

I bought myself lots of really great food, got extra sleep, and drank lots of water.

That way I had the pleasure of consuming something nice,

Lots of rest where I couldn't be consciously aware of the lack of cigs,

And a way to flush the shit out.

I've been off cigarettes for two years. I feel great - you're making a great choice. Try these things, and I think you'll find it's not as bad as you think, and won't seem like such a long, irritating, distracting thing.
posted by fake at 9:45 AM on July 25, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers. I probably should have known it would take more than a week. Ah well, too late to turn back now.
posted by sfenders at 10:18 AM on July 25, 2005

There's some substance information at Wikipedia and it claims 2 to 6 weeks.
posted by phearlez at 10:45 AM on July 25, 2005

Well, I'm an ADHD kid, so your experience may vary.
For me, the sharpness never came all the way back, and my attention span is noticibly (to me, anyway) shorter. I know exactly jack squat about the workings of the brain, but I imagine (extrapolating from my personal experience) that it goes something like this: Smoking is a sort of self-medication for ADD; when the smoking stops, the ADD ceases to be repressed and the agitation of being an addict in withdrawal compounds the matter; the withdrawal stops (or at least gets better) after 2-3 weeks (Hold fast, friend. Hold fast.), but the ADD remains unsuppressed. As a result, I am less able to filter distractions or to pay attention while being distracted (I guess the other ADHD types will know what I mean by that) than I was when I smoked.
On the bright side, I'm less likely to die.
posted by willpie at 11:11 AM on July 25, 2005

I quit smoking in July 1988 after an 18-year-habit. I felt more like myself after 2 weeks and after about 3 months, I could hardly believe that I ever smoked at all! Unlike C_D, my experience is that I forgot any desire I ever had to smoke, and I found the smell of cigarette smoke to be repulsive, rather than attractive. Hang in there, you're doing a great thing for yourself!
posted by Lynsey at 11:38 AM on July 25, 2005

I got sick (some silly cold) and, as I was going to feel shit anyway, decided it was going to be a good moment to quit. I think this made the cold about six times as bad as it would have been. I felt dizzy and very confused for a week.

Then after that week I started coughing. The confusion started to wear off in that second week. At this time I realised I could take deep breaths and it wouldn't give that ticklish feeling in my lungs. My sister, who had quit months before me, told me to drink a glass of water whenever the need got bad (I was going to quit with gum but it tasted so awful that I just went cold turkey to stop the gagging). This, I have to admit, didn't happen too often.

In the third week everything started to be really great. My sweat was cleaner, my body felt better and I could sit next to smokers without sniffing their smoke. I helped a friend move house and skipped up and down the stairs 25 times, sweating, but intensely happy.

My boyfriend quit a few days later than me, but with gum. He still needs gum. I tell you, the physical effects that you're experiencing? They may not be nice, but enjoy them anyway. You're doing great.
posted by Skyanth at 11:57 AM on July 25, 2005

I happen to think there are two types of smokers. Type A smokers, like Civil_Disobedient, recover from the vast majority of the habit but never completely lose that affection for the cigarette and suffer periodic, though surmountable, cravings for a long time, possibly for life. Type B smokers, like Lynsey, tend to reach a stable plateau stage more quickly (in 1-3 months rather than around a year) and develop an actual aversion to cigarettes, particularly the smell. I'm going on the basis of observing myself (definitely type A) and many friends - that issue of finding the smell of smoke objectionable is classic. Type B smokers are vastly more likely to become annoying hypocritical anti-smoking zealots after they quit. Anybody back me up on this one?

I'm in the camp saying "the worst" gets over in around three weeks but of course it varies depending on the person and the length and strength of the habit - I also think it's well established that the younger you start, the harder it is to quit.

I happen to believe that nicotine actually does increase concentration and mental acuity, so there is a permanent but negligible loss (more than made up for by the galaxy of long- and short- term negative side effects) in these areas. You get used to it and don't miss it.

Finally, beware the mystery strong cravings in the three-month to three year area (again I think more of a Type A problem). They are infrequent but strong and surprising, often seeming to come out of nowhere, and they can trip you up, but they pass quickly. A couple more weeks though and you should be in a lot better territory. And it is worth it, Type A tho I may be.
posted by nanojath at 12:00 PM on July 25, 2005

Response by poster: I tell you, the physical effects that you're experiencing? They may not be nice, but enjoy them anyway.

Hell yeah. I'm masochistic enough to take some pleasure in it. Worst part is that I can't get much work done, but I guess it's worth taking a year or two to find out if I can deal with any loss of mental acuity that might persist.
posted by sfenders at 12:42 PM on July 25, 2005

When I quit, I also had Tip of the Tongue Syndrome. I would be talking to someone and lose the word I was looking for. Happened all the time. I told my wife if it didn't go away after a month, I was going back to the pack. Well, it went away.
posted by etc. at 12:44 PM on July 25, 2005

The short answer: never. Once you've sucked off the tasty tar teet, you'll never be able to go back to "normal".

Don't let this panic you. I smoked 2 packs a day for 15 years, and was the kind of smoker people thought would never quit. No one could even imagine me without a cig.

Quitting, for me, was really tough. Like you, I was fuzzy-headed and distractable. Not to mention irritable: my mood swung all the way from "total bitch" to "crying jag". But I got through it by making the quitting thing my absolute first priority, and thinking/jobs/relationships took a back seat for a while. You know -- "f* you, f* the world, I'll act however I have to, I'm quitting smoking."

All this taught me that smoking can be a complicated addiction. For me, it was serving as a means of controlling what is naturally a restless, anxious, distractable nature. It helped me focus my attention, and it calmed me when my mind was racing. When I quit, that naturally restless nature was exacerbated by withdrawal. What I had to do was consciously develop strategies for living life without cigarettes. I took up an exercise program, which helped greatly, and cut myself a lot of slack in other areas.

There is a physiological rule of thumb that after one week, all traces of nicotine are removed from your system and the physical withdrawal is over. Everything else is a mental adjustment. It just takes a while.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I PROMISE you will not feel this way forever -- not even for very long. By 3 months, I was basically normal, but still had strong occasional cravings andhad to be ready to deal with them. By six months it was a nonissue. I just celebrated 3 years clean, and though I don't forget that I was a smoker, the idea of smoking seems pretty ridiculous now. My brain has adjusted. I don't want to smoke at all.

I would never have made it without Freedom From Smoking, which is a free, online program from the American Lung Association. Even if you have already quit, you might find it useful. There are also a lot of enlightening, helpful articles at WhyQuit.com.

I wish you the best of luck. Life is SO much better without smoking. I hope you make it.
posted by Miko at 1:49 PM on July 25, 2005 [1 favorite]

DAMN -- the first two lines above are a quote, though I failed to mark them as such. Sorry.
posted by Miko at 1:50 PM on July 25, 2005

This Quit Meter sort of thing helped me immeasurably! I checked it compulsively when I quit. Also, exercise helped a ton, as did the frickin' Valium (for the really tough times). It's been 2 1/2 years now, woo hoo! Hang in there, YOU CAN DO IT!
posted by airgirl at 5:44 PM on July 25, 2005

The inital shock took about 2 weeks for me. It wasn't until my body stopped *physically* needing smokes that I could actually start thinking again.

The first week or two totally sucks. I was dizzy, sweaty and just plain *out of it*. I would completely zone out of conversations and was pretty useless for about 2 weeks. Oh, and grumpy as hell.

Then, all of a sudden the physical addiction as gone. My body no longer wanted it, but my mind sure did. It's a lot easier to quit when you not dizzy anymore.
posted by punkrockrat at 7:55 PM on July 25, 2005

I am formerly a 1-2 pack-a-day Marlboro smoker. I took big hits and inhaled deeply.

I smoked my last almost 22 days ago. I was on a bit of a rollercoaster- day one sucked, days 2-7 were better as I was encouraged by my success thus far and days 8-14 were difficult for some reason. I became depressed, considered starting again, etc, but I got through by snacking, constant water intake, keeping occupied, and by staying angry at the habit and all the things that really, really suck about it. This last week has been joyous. I feel great mentally, physically and emotionally. I have energy to spare.

cigarettes were keeping me ill.

There is not a single thing in my life that's not at least a little better. I love not smoking, and am confident I will never smoke again.

I have occasional mood swings and cravings, but find I them very manageable.
posted by DuoJet at 3:03 AM on July 26, 2005

Response by poster: By my count, 10 out of 12 people here said "two weeks". Much less variation than I expected, though for some it took longer. I also found this page at ASH that attempts to answer the question. They say "less than four weeks".
posted by sfenders at 7:08 AM on July 26, 2005

Response by poster: (I find the ASH site worth pointing out because unlike the great majority of anti-smoking sites I've found, it's not written in a style that makes me ill.)
posted by sfenders at 7:21 AM on July 26, 2005

Response by poster: I can now report that the first time I felt sort of good since running out of cigarettes was about 11 days later.

I went to sleep for a bit, and now the headache is gone. I spent the past half hour waiting for the pain to come back, but it hasn't so far. Thanks for the kind words everyone. It looks like I might have a chance to succeed after all.
posted by sfenders at 1:08 PM on July 26, 2005

Response by poster: Well, here's another tip for those who might want to give up the nicotine: Schedule a vacation for one month later. I'm sure ready for one.
posted by sfenders at 4:33 PM on August 11, 2005

Response by poster: "beware the mystery strong cravings in the three-month to three year area. They are infrequent but strong and surprising"

I had one of those at three months. It was unexpected, since I'd been feeling good for about a month, and I'd forgotten all about it. I smoked one cigarette, which seemed to cause a more persistent craving over the next week, which took some effort to resist. Since then, no problems.
posted by sfenders at 7:25 PM on December 3, 2005