Symptoms of Stress and Nicotine Withdrawal

First, Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal:

   At some point after we began our smoking careers, we became addicted to nicotine. In a nutshell, that means that after we smoked a cigarette, usually within 60 minutes, we'd start to feel some of the indications that it was time to top up our nic level in order to relieve the onset of withdrawal. Withdrawal is experienced both by smokers between the cigarettes they smoke, though they rarely wait long enough for the symptoms of withdrawal to become very intense, and by those quitting cigarettes as they change their nic levels and their delivery systems. The only differences that I can see between a smoker's mini withdrawals and a quitter's withdrawal are intensity, duration, and evolution of the experience.

   There is endless documentation re: the specific ways in which a dose of nicotine will improve ability to concentrate, increase energy levels, and calm anxiety. The following is just a tiny morsel of what can be found by typing 'symptoms of nicotine withdrawal' into any search engine.

    From Dr Koop's web site (http://www.drkoop.com/wellness/tobacco/library/pg00041.asp):

   "The physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal vary from person to person, but may include any of the following:
- Increased appetite, especially for carbohydrates and sweets
- Increased coughing and sputum production
- Sweating
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches and cramps
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Headache
- Hypersensitivity to stimuli
- Sleep disturbances
- Weight gain
- Nausea

   The psychological symptoms of nicotine withdrawal vary from person to person, but may include any of the following:
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Increased aggressive thoughts and behavior
- Depression
- Decreased ability to tolerate stress or disruption
- Decreased sexual drive
- Impaired work performance
- Intense tobacco cravings "

    The symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are exactly the sensations that nicotine 'relieves'. Almost every one of those symptoms has been proven, by our own repeated experience, to be 'curable by cigarette'.

And now, Symptoms of stress:

   It's common to see posts referring to stress as a major trigger. Our perception of stress seems to be the primary cue that initiates the cig/smoking thoughts. Here's a list of symptoms of stress from the University of Minnesota (http://www.d.umn.edu/hlthserv/counseling/stress_symptoms.html).

   Symptoms of Stress

Physical -
- heart pounding
- headaches
- sweaty palms
- indigestion
- skin breaks out
- shortness of breath
- holding breath
- cold hands
- sleeplessness / sleep too much
- fatigue
- nausea
- diarrhea
- tight stomach
- tight muscles
- pain

Emotional -
- moody
- irritability
- depressed
- anxious
- lack of sense of humor
- abrasive
- hostile
- nervous
- emotional

Mental -
- forgetfulness
- loss of concentration
- poor judgment
- disorganized
- fuzzy perception
- confused
- lack of interest
- math errors
- stop thinking
- diminished fantasy life
- negative self-talk
    (Obviously some of this list pertains to serious and/or prolonged stress. Our experienced symptoms are dependant on the individual and where we find ourselves within some stress 'spectrum'.)

    Stress, by the definition of many experts, is with us 24/7. Awake or asleep, we continuously experience some degree of stress (check almost anything written by Dr Hans Selye). What we commonly call stress are those symptoms that have become chronic, intense, and of which we have become consciously aware. How many of these symptoms of stress are identical to symptoms of nic withdrawal? If stress is a by product of being alive, how often have/do we experience some stress symptom and respond automatically with an urge to smoke or consciously think it's due to nicotine addiction? How often do we make an effort to differentiate? In my case, never. That is until I began to view what I was feeling and how I 'wanted' to respond as a function of what I was thinking.