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Tips to Control Smoking Urges

Planning and preparation are your best tools for fighting off the urge to smoke. Think ahead to your day, week, weekend or month and note any times that you believe will trigger the urge to smoke. Keeping yourself aware of these times will prevent them from blindsiding you. Change your plans if avoiding the temptation is your best route to success, or use your foreknowledge to prepare how you will handle it.

  1. Substitute

    • Lighting up only prolongs the withdrawal process.

      Find the focus of your urges and develop skills to compensate. Holding a cigarette and having it in your mouth are very physical sensations. Replace the cigarette with vegetable sticks or chewing gum. It won't taste the same, but it can imitate the physical habit. Rather than lighting up, talk to your doctor about a nicotine patch or nicotine gum to combat withdrawal symptoms. Develop a hobby, like sewing or painting, that keeps your hands busy.

    Body

    • Familiar situations may prompt a return to previous behavior.

      A major complaint of those who quit smoking is the weight they may gain. Exercise can not only combat that, it can be a new focus that takes your mind off cravings. This way, your body will be healthier because you stopped smoking, but it will also be healthier because you've added something to increase your longevity. Stopping smoking can also improve your complexion, as you no longer ingest something that leaches away important nutrients.

    Mind

    • Plan not to give in to your cravings.

      A proper mindset can also help you to weather your urges to resume smoking. Keep the things that make quitting important to you in mind as you ride out the cravings. Note how your health has improved since quitting, celebrate small milestones — a day or a week without a cigarette — and reaffirm your commitment by not accepting a return to smoking. Try keeping family photos or fresh scents you can now enjoy on hand to boost your brain's resolve.

    Journaling

    • Journaling lets you look at your achievements.

      The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute at the University of South Florida provides a printable "craving journal" to record when and with whom you have the urge to smoke and how you felt at the time. Tracking your progress can help you discover patterns in your cravings and prepare to avoid or combat them. You can also use the journal to remind yourself why you're quitting, where you've had success and how to keep going.

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