How Long Do Quit Symptoms Really Last? – Kill The Can Podcast (Episode 29)

How Long Do Quit Symptoms Really Last?

The Kill The Can Podcast – Episode 29
Recorded: February 20th, 2024

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Kill The Can Podcast. I hope you’ve had a wonderful week.

Last episode I had an awesome conversation with Duathman. If you haven’t checked out his podcast yet, I’d encourage you to give it a listen. He’s a fellow quitter and he’s putting out some really interesting content.

Right now, I’m driving. I just dropped my son off at school and I’m on my way to work. It’s 18 degrees here in the Cleveland area this morning. It’s cold. That’s what we get for living in Northeast Ohio.

But even in the middle of February, my thoughts are starting to turn toward warmer weather. Spring is coming. And with changing seasons come seasonal triggers.

If you’ve just quit and you’re heading into a new season, I want to warn you — and prepare you — that you may deal with seasonal triggers.

What’s a seasonal trigger?

It’s something specific to a season that sets off memories tied to your addiction. It could be the first warm day of spring. You open the windows and you get hit with that smell of spring air. If you were like me, every spring for years you had a dip in your mouth when you smelled that.

Your brain connected the dopamine hit from nicotine with that smell.

So when spring hits and you don’t have nicotine anymore, your brain still expects the dopamine. And when it doesn’t get it? Here comes the withdrawal. Here comes the anxiety. Here comes the craving.

It might be yard work. It might be hearing birds for the first time in spring. In the fall, it’s hunting season. Every season has its own triggers.

This is where tools like fake dip can be helpful. They’re tools in the toolbox to help fend off triggers. I’m not telling you this to scare you. I’m telling you so you’re ready.

Which brings me to something important:

Do you have a crave plan?

What are you going to do when a crave hits?

And I mean really know. Write it down. Because you will be shocked how quickly a quit can fall apart when someone gets hit with a trigger they didn’t expect and they don’t know how to respond.

I’ve seen crave prevention plans as simple as:
– Open the forums
– Post in the Urgent thread on Discord
– Text a brother
– Call a brother

For me, step one was simple. I took a picture of my sons out of my wallet and looked at it.

That was my first step.

Then I’d text or call someone. I’d ask permission to cave.

I can tell you honestly: I put that plan into action multiple times during my quit. And I never had to get past step one.

Because when I looked at my sons and told myself I wanted nicotine more than I wanted to be with them — that was never true.

You don’t have to use my plan. But you should have one.

Now let’s talk about the question I’ve been getting a lot lately:

How long does this last?

How long does the fog last?
How long does dizziness last?
How long does the sore throat last?

These are completely valid questions.

I think the reason people ask them is fear.

You go into your quit motivated. The first three or four days are brutal — but you expect that. There’s a lot of information about the first three days.

You get through that. You start feeling better.

Then on day 20 or 30 or 50, something new shows up.

Your brain goes: “Wait a minute. This is different. Something’s wrong.”

If you’re a hypochondriac like me, your brain immediately jumps to: “Oh no. Is this cancer? Is it too late? Am I really sick?”

That fear kicks in.

So let’s address it.

Nicotine withdrawal can do some wild things to the body.

Sore throat.
Stuffy nose.
Upset stomach.
Trouble sleeping.
Trouble going to the bathroom.
No appetite.
Too much appetite.

You may even replace nicotine with something else — food, alcohol, something new. We tend to have addictive personalities. It’s easier for us to replace one addiction with another.

Now let’s talk specifics.

The fog.

The fog is that weird, slightly off feeling. Not quite dizzy, not quite right. For me, it felt like having two or three beers — not drunk, just not sharp.

For me, the fog lasted about two to three weeks. Maybe a month before it fully lifted.

Later in my quit — around day 70 to 120 — I had a different kind of dizziness. I think it was congestion. Maybe equilibrium issues. I’m not a doctor. But I do see congestion show up regularly with quitters.

I don’t know why. I can’t explain it scientifically. But I see it enough to call it common.

It might last a month. It might last two. But it typically goes away.

Sore throat is trickier.

You’ve had tobacco juice going down your throat for years. That irritates things.

Fake dip can irritate your throat.
Sunflower seeds with salt can irritate your throat.
Acid reflux can cause throat irritation.
A cold can cause it.
Dry air can cause it.

For most quitters, sore throat comes and goes within the first 100 days. It may flare up for a few days, disappear, come back, and disappear again.

Sleep issues are another big one.

Your brain has been fed nicotine and dopamine for years. It takes time to rebalance.

For me, sleep took about two months to normalize. That doesn’t mean I didn’t sleep for two months — it just wasn’t great sleep.

Some people don’t have sleep issues at all. Some take longer. Melatonin can help. A doctor can help if it’s severe.

Here’s the bottom line:

In almost every case I see, yes — what you’re experiencing is normal.

And yes — it gets better.

If something feels extreme, or new, or scary, go see a doctor. There is nothing wrong with getting checked out for peace of mind.

But understand this:

Your body is healing.

You spent years feeding it nicotine. It’s going to take time to recalibrate.

That’s not failure. That’s recovery.

I love the questions. Keep sending them. If there’s something specific you want me to talk about, send me a message, leave a comment, DM me — I’d love to cover it.

It is an absolute privilege to be quit with you.

We’ll talk to you soon, quitters. Have a great day.