Trying to give up smoking is difficult for anybody. Cravings for nicotine can (and do) overpower even the strongest-willed people as they attempt to quit. Fortunately, these cravings tend to be brief in nature and, if you have the right coping mechanisms in place, you can normally withstand them long enough for them to lessen their grip on you.
In this article, we’re looking at 5 useful tips to help you avoid or overcome your nicotine cravings.
Avoid tempting situations
It’s far too easy, especially in the first few days and weeks, to fall back into bad habits. When the nicotine craving hits, it doesn’t take much to think “well… one cigarette won’t hurt”. A key tactic to prevent yourself from relapsing is to avoid tempting situations. That means, don’t hang round at the smoking shelter in work to chat to your mates, don’t keep an “emergency” packet of cigarettes in the house, and don’t attend social gatherings where smoking is part and parcel of the evening (trips to the pub, and so on). This doesn’t mean you should become a recluse, but changing your social habits to limit the opportunities for smoking will help you resist the craving.
Give yourself a moment
When the craving strikes don’t give into it straightaway. Tell yourself to hang on for 5 minutes before you go looking for a cigarette. Just 5 minutes – that’s all. In the meantime, do something with that five minutes. Complete a task at work, make yourself a cup of tea, read a book or a newspaper, and so on. By the time your five minutes is up, you’ll be too engrossing in your activity to even want a cigarette.
Sweat it out
Exercise is a great way to ignore nicotine cravings. This could be hitting the gym, going for a long work, or even housework – anything that causes you to breathe and sweat a little harder than normal. Exercise helps raise your dopamine levels, which in turn diminishes your nicotine craving.
Try something new
Have you always wanted to try a new hobby? Now is the perfect time. Use the money you’re saving by not smoking to tackle something new. Whether it’s painting, baking, learning a language, or playing an instrument, invest yourself in it. Learning a new skill is not only great for your mental well-being, it stops your focussing on your desire to smoke.
Try vaping
One of the most effective ways to combat any addiction is by substituting the action to something less harmful, which is where vaping comes in. It’s not always possible to go cold turkey when giving up cigarettes, and a vape device is a useful alternative. Vape liquids are less harmful to the body than the various carcinogens you inhale with a regular cigarette, and you can still get your nicotine hit. Even better, vape juice is available with different strengths of nicotine (or you can concoct your own with the required amount), which makes it easier to wean yourself off it over an extended period of time. This is often easier (and more effective) than reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke or going cold turkey.