9 Tips for Smoking Cessation
1 - Avoid Triggers
Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often, such as at parties or bars, or while feeling stressed or sipping coffee. Identify your trigger situations and have a plan in place to avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco.
Don’t set yourself up for a smoking relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby to occupy yourself with doodling rather than smoking.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
2 - Delay
If you feel like you’re going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes — and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. Try going to a public, smoke-free zone. These simple tricks may be enough to derail your tobacco craving.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
3 - Chew On It
Give your mouth something to do to fight a tobacco craving. Chew on sugarless gum or hard candy, or munch on raw carrots, celery, nuts or sunflower seeds — something crunchy and satisfying.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
4 - Don't Have 'Just One'
You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don’t fool yourself into believing that you can stop there. More often than not, having just one leads to another— and you may end up using tobacco again.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
5 - Get Physical
Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce their intensity. Even short bursts of physical activity — such as running up and down the stairs a few times — can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog.
If you’re stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, pushups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs. If physical activity doesn’t interest you, try prayer, needlework, woodwork, or journaling. Or do chores for distraction, such as vacuuming or filing paperwork.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
6 - Practice Relaxation Techniques
Smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Resisting a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, massage, or listening to calming music.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
7 - Call For Reinforcements
24/7 support available by phone 613-878-9412 Facebook page or by sending email to info@thestopsmokingclinic.com
Tips for Smoking Cessation
8 - Go Online for Support
Join an online stop-smoking program. Or read a quitter’s blog and post encouraging thoughts for someone else who might be struggling with tobacco cravings. Learn from how others have handled their tobacco cravings.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
9 - Remind Yourself of the Benefits
Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings. These might include:
- Feeling better
- Getting healthier
- Sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke
- Saving money
Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time you resist a tobacco craving, you’re one step closer to being totally tobacco-free.
Tips for Smoking Cessation
