I'm 24 and I've been smoking since I was 18, its a long time. I used to smoke around 10 cigarettes daily and now I'm completely cigarette free since 1st January 2017. I crave for smoking all the time but I manage myself however to not smoke a single puff of that again but the problem is my chest hurts, mainly right side and I can feel the pain in back as well. I want to know about it, is it common? If it is then what are other problem I'm gonna have while quitting smoking. Suggest me anything which can make this procedure easier. please reply as soon as possible.

Dr. Sajeev KumarGeneral Physician37yrs exp

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It is common to feel some strange feelings an you have to hold on to your decision and can chew gums if you feel craving. 

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Dr. Chayanika SarmaPsychiatrist15yrs exp

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You took a very good decision to quit smoking. It is a harmful habit & do not have any beneficial effect on the body. Smoking for long may affect the upper respiratory tract & lungs, causing many problems like throat irritation & infection, chronic cough, COPD, Chronic bronchitis etc. As you are having chest pain better get yourself evaluated by a physician to rule out any affect in your chest & lungs by smoking. Take the following steps to keep up your motivation to continue your effort to quit smoking: oEducate yourself adequately regarding smoking & its ill effects. Acquire the required information by reading books, going through internet or talking to a professional trained in de addiction. OKeep reminding yourself of the benefits you will achieve after quitting smoking: After quitting you will have reduced risk of the many diseases caused by smoking. Your family & near ones will be saved from the ill effects of passive smoking. Your mouth will be saved from the bad odor caused by smoking. You can focus more on your relationships. Smoking might have affected your relations if your close ones were against it, or because you were so preoccupied with the substance, your relations suffered. You can participate actively in social gatherings as you will not have to stay away because of your habit nor have to come out frequently to smoke. You will save the money you were wasting on smoking & use them for better purposes. OImagine & create in your mind a picture of a beautiful future of a life without smoking. Imagine how much you will benefit in your new life. In between your beautiful imaginary picture also imagine that you started to smoke again. Then imagine how one by one the beautiful picture will shatter. Once you become aware of the consequences of relapse, you will also develop fear of relapsing. You will then stay more cautious not to start it again. OCount the first day of your quitting as the first day of a new start & from that day, live one day at a time. It is helpful if you can relate this day to some important events in your life like your birthday or birthday of someone close, anniversary, day of some achievements etc. On the morning of the second day, tell yourself that you are starting the second day of your substance free life & by night time thank yourself that you stayed substance free whole day & encourage yourself to stay smoke free in coming days too. Celebrate your victory of staying sober on completing 1 week, 2 weeks, then 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and on completing one year celebrate the first birthday of your sobriety. This will encourage you to stay sober further. OAvoid triggering factors that may tempt you to smoke. For example if the triggering factor was internal say some stress for which you got inclined to abusing substance, then work on the stress to remove it or take help of a counselor to overcome the stress. If the trigger was external, like some friends persuade & you could not say no, in some specific event or situation you usually smoke etc, then stay away from those situation. OImmediately after quitting, craving will be intense. But gradually with time it will reduce. So the initial days you have to be very careful. Keep yourself busy & diverted. You can use alternatives like nicotine lozenges or chewing gum. Gradually reduce the amount of these chewing gums & stop them. OThrow away all cigarettes you have with you. Having them within reach may increase your temptation. OStart new healthy habits & opt for a healthy lifestyle. OEat healthy diet. OJoin a support group comprising of people who came out of smoking & had undergone the same situation as you. You will get a platform to discuss your queries & together can motivate each other to stay sober & also help others to overcome smoking. If you are not able to do yourself alone, then take professional help. Now-a-days de-addiction treatments are available for quitting all substances of abuse including smoking. Such treatment includes detoxification & rehabilitation program. Consult a psychiatrist & start your treatment at the earliest. Medical detoxification is the first stage of de addiction treatment, when the addicted person is treated with medicines. The withdrawal symptoms which occur on sudden stopping of an addictive substance are managed through detox treatment. Medical detoxification systematically and safely will withdraw you from smoking. The next phase is the Rehabilitation program which includes counseling sessions & other behavioral therapies. These sessions have important role in the de addiction process. Counseling sessions will help to enhance your motivation skills to stay sober, build skills to resist smoking, replace substance-using activities with constructive and rewarding non substance-using activities, and improve problem-solving abilities. Behavioral therapy will work on interpersonal relationships and your ability to function effectively in the family and community. All the best for your effort. Wish you success. 

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