Nicotine Cravings after Quitting Smoking

Handling Smoking Habit Cravings

When you quit smoking you will encounter many different types of cravings to smoke a cigarette. One of these cravings revolves around habit. After years of smoking, smokers have engrained lighting up a cigarette and inhaling the smoke into their daily routine. Often times it is the first thing smokers do in the morning and the last thing smokers do before going to bed.

Smoking cigarettes is a major part of a smoker’s daily routine. On average most smokers light up every 2 hours. The morning and afternoon 10-minute break probably exists for the smoker. When you make the decision to quit smoking it is critical to your success to be able to handle habit cravings to smoke without smoking. Before I quit smoking one of my habit cravings was to smoke while driving my car. It just seemed like a good opportunity. The longer the drive the more I got to smoke. The fact that I smelt like an ashtray when I got to my destination was merely a bonus.

Below are some other common situations that may cause habit cravings:

• Getting into an argument with a family member or friend
• Feelings of loneliness or boredom
• While talking on the phone
• Being around other smokers
• After eating a meal or drinking a cup of coffee
• Drinking alcohol
• Smelling others’ tobacco smoke
• Completing a task
• Feeling Stressed

There are many situations that can bring on the craving to smoke. In order to quit smoking find alternate habits to put in the place of smoking when faced with habit cravings. Chew a piece of gum, rinse your mouth with mouth wash, call your support network, munch on unsalted sunflower seeds, or go for a walk. It is important to have mechanisms in place to prevent you from smoking when cravings come and they will come.

There is good news, habit cravings tend to come and go quickly. As you get more time under your belt, not smoking, the habit cravings will get fewer and fewer. You are developing a new healthier habit of not smoking. Keep the reasons why you want to quit smoking close, review them often and don’t give up.

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