Find activities that relax and rejuvenate you. Good nutrition and regular sleep can help ease your tension. Daily exercise , even a short walk, can improve your mood and energy levels. If you feel like your cravings are becoming more intense, take it as a cue to engage in more self-care.
You might avoid certain situations temporarily—like going to a bar or to a party where people will be smoking—if you know they're likely to trigger you. If an urge to smoke catches you off guard, you might engage in some mindfulness meditation or breathing exercises.
Simply stay in the moment without acting on your urges. This exercise can remind you that the moment will pass and so will the craving. You can find more coping strategies that work for you by following the five Ds of smoking cessation : delay, distract, drink water, deep breathing, and discuss. Make a plan for when you feel a craving. Reach out to a trusted family member or friend who can offer encouragement while you wait for the craving to pass.
Becoming part of a support group for quitting smoking can give you support and motivation as well. If you can, reach out to someone from your in-person or online support group. Or, try downloading a quit smoking app on your phone. You can check the app any time you are craving a cigarette.
If you're having trouble managing your cravings, talk to your doctor about your options. Some people find nicotine replacement therapy NRT a useful method to stay away from cigarettes.
NRT gives your body small doses of nicotine without the toxic chemicals in cigarettes. NRT comes in lozenges, mouth sprays, gum, and patches. Talk to your doctor about the best type of NRT for you. There are also medications to help you quit smoking such as Zyban bupropion and Chantix varenicline tartrate ; however, these may be most effective when taken before quitting smoking, so it's best to talk to your doctor.
Try not to fear the ups and downs that come with quitting smoking. Although you might be feeling frustrated by cravings, all of this discomfort can pass in time if you just keep applying yourself to your goal of staying smoke-free, one day at a time.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. So you're ready to finally quit smoking? Our free guide can help you get on the right track.
Sign up and get yours today. A mobile app offering distractions and tips to cope with cigarette craving: A qualitative study. Nicotine withdrawal. In: The Neuropharmacology of Nicotine Dependence. Springer International Publishing; Cigarette cravings, impulsivity, and the brain. Front Psychiatry.
Hughes JR. Read more about prescription stop smoking medicines. NRT and stop smoking medicines can help curb cravings, but they can't completely eradicate them. For you, some events or times of the day may have a strong association with smoking: after food, with a coffee, after putting the kids to bed, when chatting to a friend, or having an alcoholic drink.
Try doing something different at these times. You don't have to make this change forever, just until you have broken the association with smoking.
Expect your cravings to be at their worst in the first few weeks after quitting. The good news is that they'll pass, and the quickest way to achieve this is to commit to the "not a single drag" rule.
When you're ready to stop for good, promise yourself "I won't even have a single drag on a cigarette". If you feel like smoking, remember "not a single drag" to help the feeling pass. Physical activity may help reduce your nicotine cravings and relieve some withdrawal symptoms. Going to the gym or local swimming pool are good, as is a little gentle exercise like a short walk, or something useful like doing the housework or gardening. Find out how to do more exercise. You may have never experienced these before as a non-smoker, so you'll associate them strongly with smoking.
Have some fast-acting NRT with you just in case. Get more self-help tips to stop smoking. When an urge to smoke strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it'll be shortlived and will probably pass within a few minutes.
Each time you resist a craving, you're 1 step closer to stopping smoking. Find out what to do if you relapse after quitting smoking. Page last reviewed: 25 October Next review due: 25 October You should stop getting them altogether after 4 to 6 weeks. You can also confuse cravings for food with cravings for nicotine and vice versa. You may have low moods or increased irritability and anxiety when you give up smoking. These feelings are temporary and get better within about 4 weeks.
This can take 2 to 3 weeks to settle. Try to reduce caffeine tea, coffee, cola. Exercise can help too. Relax before bedtime with a book or a bath. Your energy might increase after stopping smoking. This is because more oxygen is getting into your bloodstream as the carbon monoxide has left your body. However, some people find they have less energy for a while.
This is because the body stops producing adrenaline in response to nicotine. It's temporary and will get better after 2 to 3 weeks. It can take 2 to 3 weeks to get better. If this happens to you, you can deal with it by:. Most smokers worry that giving up smoking will make them gain weight.
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