Most people are unaware of their physical dependence on nicotine until they try to quit. Then they experience the awful symptoms of withdrawal, ranging from irritability, impatience, fatigue, and sleeplessness to headaches, nausea, weakness, inability to concentrate, confusion, or extreme anxiety. These symptoms last anywhere from three days to 3 weeks. Some people who have tried quitting and failed say the withdrawal symptoms are simply too unbearable. Therefore, many stop-smoking programs spend a lot of time on ways to handle withdrawal symptoms with simple behavioral techniques such as sucking on cinnamon sticks or taking slow, deep breaths.
Cigarettes are also psychologically addicting.
Smoking becomes part of everyday activities such as talking on the phone, driving, or reading the paper. For many people, especially women, the greatest barrier to quitting smoking is the fear of weight gain. Many smoker-survivors who have struggled with eating disorders may especially fear the food cravings and possibility of weight gain. The average weight gain after quitting smoking, however, is just between five and six pounds. That gain seems a small price to pay when the health risks of smoking one pack of cigarettes per day equal the health risks of being 100 pounds overweight.