Nicotine is considered a drug in all respects.
In fact, when an individual stops smoking, he begins to suffer from a real withdrawal syndrome .
But what is this syndrome and when does it begin? How does it evolve and when can it be considered resolved?
The typical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal syndrome are irritability, anger, anxiety, uncontrollable desire to smoke, frustration, sleepiness, disturbed nighttime sleep, difficulty concentrating and increased appetite.
The first signs of withdrawal appear as early as 2 hours after the last cigarette.
After 3 days - which is the time necessary to completely eliminate the nicotine from the body - the most acute moment of the syndrome begins: it is at this time, in fact, that the former smoker feels the symptoms mentioned above in the most intense way.
According to several studies, after 2-3 weeks most ex-smokers begin to feel less the need to smoke and feel more comfortable.
The complete recovery would take place from this moment on and it would seem to depend on how much an individual smoked before quitting: this means that, in general, the former big smokers need more time to heal, compared to the former non-relentless smokers.
