RN from neuroscience here!
Use a nicotint patch. (not duct tape over your mouth
)People who quit "cold turkey" can be at risk of too-slow heartbeats overnight. Those are the people who have a stroke and never wake up.
If you have a cardiologist (most smokers do, eventually!), get a checkup and a prescription for nicotine replacement therapy. If you have no doctor at all, use your county health department.
Nicotine addiction is for real! Its not just an attitude adjustment. Its not laziness or weakness or childish to be addicted to nicotine, its a real chemical dependence. In normal bodies, a neurotransmitting chemical called acetylcholine sets your heart rate, your blood pressure, controls your fluid and electrolyte balance. But nicotine replaces that over time, so the body has "receptors" to the nicotine instead of acetylcholine. If a smoker suddenly holds out on the nicotine, and there's no way the body can use acetylcholine, then there's no regulation. The heartrates go down into the 30's while asleep, and that leads to blood clotting, which clogs important things like the heart and the brain.
That's why its important to get a little medical help to quit smoking. Sure, some people just quit and they're fine. I'm speaking from the perspective of the people who quit cold turkey and stroked. I've taken care of sooooo many! Ewwww, sad, I know, but true.
Besides, I see no good reason to suffer withdrawal. Isn't there enough suffering going on in the world? Why do we need any more suffering? The lifestyle change is hard enough, even though its a beautiful change in the end.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
Use a nicotint patch. (not duct tape over your mouth
If you have a cardiologist (most smokers do, eventually!), get a checkup and a prescription for nicotine replacement therapy. If you have no doctor at all, use your county health department.
Nicotine addiction is for real! Its not just an attitude adjustment. Its not laziness or weakness or childish to be addicted to nicotine, its a real chemical dependence. In normal bodies, a neurotransmitting chemical called acetylcholine sets your heart rate, your blood pressure, controls your fluid and electrolyte balance. But nicotine replaces that over time, so the body has "receptors" to the nicotine instead of acetylcholine. If a smoker suddenly holds out on the nicotine, and there's no way the body can use acetylcholine, then there's no regulation. The heartrates go down into the 30's while asleep, and that leads to blood clotting, which clogs important things like the heart and the brain.
That's why its important to get a little medical help to quit smoking. Sure, some people just quit and they're fine. I'm speaking from the perspective of the people who quit cold turkey and stroked. I've taken care of sooooo many! Ewwww, sad, I know, but true.
Besides, I see no good reason to suffer withdrawal. Isn't there enough suffering going on in the world? Why do we need any more suffering? The lifestyle change is hard enough, even though its a beautiful change in the end.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
