Cravings can wear you down when you're trying to quit smoking or chewing tobacco. These 10 methods can help you remain in control and stay quit.
For most tobacco users, cravings or urges to smoke can be powerful. But you're not at the mercy of these cravings. When an urge to use tobacco strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it will be short, and it probably will pass within a few minutes whether you smoke a cigarette or not. Each time you resist a craving, you're one step closer to stopping smoking or other tobacco use for good.
In the meantime, here are 10 ways to help you ride out the urge to smoke or use tobacco.
1. Delay. If you feel like you're going to give in to your craving, tell yourself that you must wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco craving. Repeat as often as needed.
2. Don't have 'just one.' You may be tempted to have just one cigarette to stop a craving. But don't fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another, then another — and you may wind up back in the habit.
3. Avoid triggers. Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often. Identify your trigger spots — or people — and have a plan in place so that you can avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco. Don't set yourself up for a relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby instead for doodling rather than smoking.
4. Get physical. Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog. If you're stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs a few times. If physical activity doesn't interest you, try prayer, needlework, woodwork or journaling. Or do chores for distraction, such as vacuuming or filing paperwork.
5. Practice relaxation techniques. Coping with a craving to smoke or use tobacco can be very stressful. In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Take the edge off your stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, hypnosis and massage.
6. Call reinforcements. Touch base with a family member, friend or support group member for moral support. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs — or get together to commiserate about your cravings.
7. Remember the benefits of quitting. Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist cravings. These might include feeling better, getting healthier, sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke or saving money. And if you're a closet smoker, you may save hours of time since you no longer have to spend time trying to creatively conceal your habit.
8. Go online. Join an online stop-smoking program. Or read a quitter's blog and post encouraging thoughts for someone else who might be struggling with cravings. Learn from how others have handled their tobacco cravings.
9. Try replacements. Try a stop-smoking product instead of a cigarette. Some types of nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gums and lozenges, are available over-the-counter. Nicotine nasal spray and the nicotine inhaler are available by prescription, as are the stop-smoking medications bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix).
10. Chew on it. Give your mouth something to do. Chew on sugarless gum or hard candy. Or munch on raw carrots, celery, nuts or sunflower seeds — something crunchy and satisfying.
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