How To Stop Smoking Cravings? Know 10 Best Tips To Handle Withdrawals

Quitting smoking is a monumental decision that deserves immense recognition and support. But let's be honest, the journey isn't always smooth sailing. Cravings and withdrawal symptoms can rear their ugly heads, threatening to derail your progress.

Smoking is harmful to both physical and mental health. The nicotine in cigarettes is temporary and powerful. As a stimulant, it helps you feel more relaxed and boosts dopamine, similar to coffee. Smoking is also a way to overcome depression, anxiety and boredom, and hence, it becomes a daily habit and causes over seven million deaths a year. When you stop smoking and taking nicotine, physical symptoms and cravings will appear in your body. 

To quit smoking successfully, you must break your addiction, its habits and processes. It is not impossible, and with support and a quit plan, any smoker can quit smoking. In this blog, you will learn how to stop cigarette cravings, effectively combat the symptoms and create a personalised quit plan that empowers you to break free from smoking for good! Read on! 

Table Of Contents

1. 10 Best Tips To Stop Smoking Cravings 

2. Why Should You Quit Smoking?

3. Physical Symptoms Of Quitting Smoking

4. The Final Say

5. FAQs

6. References

10 Best Tips To Stop Smoking Cravings

These tips are relevant for those who are quitting the use of any smoking or tobacco product.  There are ways to help you resist the urge to smoke because it is not easy to combat cravings. Here are tips on how to stop smoking cravings.

1. Try Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Ask your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy. Options include nasal nicotine or inhaled nicotine patches, gum, and short-term treatment with over-the-counter medications. 

Nicotine gum, lozenges, nasal sprays or inhalers can help you overcome cravings. These short courses often work well with long-term nicotine replacement or nicotine-free tobacco products.

2. Avoid Triggers

Smoking is most intense in places where you used to smoke frequently, such as parties, bars, and during times of stress. Identify your trigger points and make a plan to avoid those and overcome them without smoking. 

Do not allow yourself to smoke. For example, if you tend to smoke while talking on the phone, keep a pen and paper with you so you do not get to smoke.

3. Take A Breather

If you do not want to smoke, tell yourself you need to wait 10 more minutes. Then, do something to distract yourself during this time. Go to public places and non-smoking areas. These simple tips can help you quit smoking.

4. Chew It Away

Fill your mouth with something that will help you control your urge to smoke. Chew gum without candy or hard candy. Or, if you want something crunchy and delicious, try raw carrots, nuts and seeds.

5. Do Not ‘Just Smoke’

You may be tempted to smoke, but you need just one cigarette to satisfy your temptation. Usually, this just causes more after one, so just avoid smoking.

Also Read: Explore 7 Major E-Cigs’ Side Effects On the Body

6. Be Physically Active 

Physical activity can easily distract your mind from the urge to smoke. Performing small activities like walking, moving stairs, etc., can eliminate the urge to smoke. Go for a walk or run.  If you are at home or work, try squats, profoundly bending your knees, push-ups, space running, or going up and down stairs. 

If you do not like being physically active, try praying, sewing, woodworking, or writing. Or do some household chores that distract you, like cleaning or writing. 

Also Read: Physical Wellness: Importance And Benefits Of Physical Fitness

7. Try Relaxation Techniques 

Smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Fighting back against a smoking craving can itself be stressful. Try relaxation methods, such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualisation, massage, or listening to calming music; these can help remove stress.

Also Read: Yoga For Stress And Anxiety Relief

8. Request For Reinforcements 

Reach out to family, friends, or support group members to get help fighting the urge to smoke. Talk on the phone, walk, laugh, meet, talk, and support. Counselling may also be helpful. 

9. Join Online Support Groups

Participate in an online smoking cessation program. Or read blogs about cravings and read encouraging thoughts and stories from someone suffering from cravings. Find out how other people managed and quit their urge to smoke. 

10. Remember Benefits 

Resist the urge to smoke by writing down or saying out loud why you want to quit. These reasons are as follows: 

• Feeling better

• Getting healthier

• Sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke

• Saving money 

  
  

Keep in mind that it is always better to try to resist the urge to smoke than to do nothing. And every time you resist the urge to smoke, you are one step closer to quitting smoking.

Also Read: Lung Detox: The Treatment For Smokers

Why Should You Quit Smoking?

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Letting go of this habit means that you need to find a better and more efficient way to deal with the cravings and withdrawals. Quitting smoking or avoiding smoking cravings can be difficult, but it may help to think of your symptoms as signs that your body is healing. 

Here is why you must smoke cravings: 

• Healthier Respiratory System: Smoking damages your lungs and increases the risk of respiratory issues like chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Quitting allows your lungs to heal and function better.

• Reduced Cancer Risk: Smoking is a leading cause of various types of cancers, including lung, throat, and mouth cancer and quitting significantly lowers your risk of developing these life-threatening diseases.

• Cardiovascular Health: Smoking significantly contributes to heart disease and stroke, compromising cardiovascular health. By quitting, you enhance your cardiovascular condition, thereby mitigating the risk of both heart attacks and strokes.

• Increased Energy and Stamina: Smoking robs your body of oxygen, which results in fatigue; however, when you quit–a decision that enhances your intake of oxygen–it boosts not only energy levels but also stamina.

• Financial Savings: Smoking is an expensive habit. Quitting saves you money on cigarettes and potential healthcare costs associated with smoking-related illnesses.

• Protecting Others: Secondhand smoke inflicts harm upon your immediate surroundings, and by quitting, you take a crucial step in shielding your loved ones from the perils of passive smoking.

• Increased Life Expectancy: Quitting smoking is one of the most impactful steps you can take to add years to your life and improve your overall quality of life.

  
  

Nicotine cravings depend on how much and for how long you smoke. The person's desire to smoke usually disappears within 3 to 5 minutes. The hardest craving for cigarettes will appear two to three days after quitting smoking, and you may lose your appetite 4 to 6 weeks after quitting. It is a tough but great decision to quit, and you will thank yourself for doing it despite the seemingly impossible initial challenges and withdrawals. There are ways to stop smoking cravings; read on for more.

Also Read: The Intricate Relationship Between Smoking And Weight

Physical Symptoms Of Quitting Smoking

Because the nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive, people who quit may experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms, especially if they have smoked or used other tobacco products heavily for many years.

Common symptoms of smoking cravings you may experience when you quit smoking are as follows:

1. Cravings: These may be strong initially but usually last only a few minutes. Resisting each one weakens its power over time. 

2. Trouble Concentrating Or Sleeping: These problems will disappear as your body gets used to quitting smoking. Rest and deep breathing may help. 

3. Irritability, Anger, Anxiety And Depressive Mood: All of these situations are normal. Don't panic. Feel the emotion for a while and accept that it will pass.

4. Increased Appetite And Weight Gain: This may last several weeks. Planning can help you combat overrating and practise mindful eating in this period for better weight management. 

Some other common symptoms that may occur include:

• Coughing and sneezing 

• Constipation 

• Dizziness or lightheadedness 

• Mouth ulcers 

  
  

The good news is that there are many things you can do to reduce your desire to smoke, manage the symptoms and eventually stop smoking cravings. It would also be useful to know that nicotine withdrawal symptoms will also decrease. Over time, these symptoms will disappear, and you will think less about smoking. If your symptoms are severe or persistent, it may be helpful to see a doctor. 

These symptoms usually become worse in the first week after quitting smoking and peak in the first 3 days. The intensity of residual symptoms usually decreases in the first month. But everyone is different, and some people continue to have withdrawal symptoms even months after quitting smoking.

The Final Say

When you start to stop smoking, your body starts missing nicotine and you feel tired, sad, and get headaches. Before, these feelings were often made better by smoking again after eating or while talking on the phone. Holding onto these connections can keep the desire for cigarettes alive, even after many weeks of stopping. 

Recognising and dealing with these symptoms of quitting is necessary on the journey to stop smoking completely, knowing that as each day goes by, you move nearer to beating your dependence on tobacco. There will be challenges, but remember, you're not alone. By incorporating these 10 tips on how to stop smoking cravings into your daily routine, you can effectively stop withdrawal symptoms, increasing your chances of success.

Make no mistake: quitting smoking is incredibly impactful for your health. It slashes the risks of developing manifold chronic diseases and bolsters lung function – ultimately augmenting overall well-being. Embrace each small victory along this journey, lean on the support of loved ones and healthcare professionals alike, but above all else– trust unfailingly in your capacity to conquer this formidable challenge!

FAQs

1. Is it harmful to smoke several times a day?

Yes, smoking several times a day is not good. Smoking even one pack of cigarettes a day throughout your life per day can cause cancer (lung, bladder and prostate cancer) and premature death.

2. Is smoking an addiction?

True, smoking is an addiction. Nicotine is the drug that is primarily responsible for addiction to tobacco products, including cigarettes. Addiction to cigarettes and other tobacco products from nicotine is similar to addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Nicotine is naturally present in the tobacco plant.

3. Do nicotine replacement products reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms?

Nicotine replacement products provide measured doses of nicotine to alleviate withdrawal symptoms in tobacco users attempting to quit. 

References

• Tips For Quitting | Quit Smoking | Tips From Former Smokers | CDC 

• How to stop smoking: Dealing with cravings: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia 

• What to expect when you quit smoking - Better Health Channel

• 7 Common Withdrawal Symptoms | Quit Smoking | Tips From Former Smokers | CDC 

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