Every tobacco user knows that cravings for this substance can be so strong that you can’t resist them. But, everything is possible when you have a good strategy up your sleeve. Whenever cravings hit the hardest, remember that they will pass in about 10 minutes, no matter how hard they are. Whether or not you grab a smoke, your cravings are temporary and they will disappear! And every time you resist the temptation, you’re one step closer to being free from the terrible habits of smoking or chewing tobacco. If you also want to ditch this habit, here are a few ways you can protect yourself from tobacco cravings:
Delay your pleasure
Whenever you feel like you’re going to reach for a cigarette, give yourself 10 minutes before you light a smoke. In the meantime, do something to distract yourself like taking a walk or hitting a public, no-smoking zone. In many cases, this simple trick will reduce your cravings and allow you to forget about cigarettes.
Distract your mouth and hands
Idle mouths and hands are magnets for tobacco cravings, so give these body parts something to do. For instance, you can munch on foods like sugar-free gum or hard candy, grab some raw carrots or celery or resort to sunflower seeds—whatever you find crunchy and satisfying.
Take baby steps with vaping
Millions of people all over the world stopped smoking with the help of a vaping device and the body of evidence of the effectiveness of this technique is growing every day. Vaping can help you manage your tobacco cravings by imitating the use of classic cigarettes. With a wide variety of E Juice options, you can find something that hits the spot, has the right strength and flavor for you—this is the key to getting the best out of vaping. With expert advice and support from your friends, people who switch to vaping to stop smoking tobacco have a great chance of ditching cigarettes and chewing tobacco forever.
Get physical
Physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce the intensity of tobacco cravings and distract your brain from them. And don’t think you have to run a marathon for this trick to work! Short jogs and quick HIIT style workouts work just fine. Even running up and down the stairs a few times can help keep cravings away.
When you can’t go to the gym or outside at all (like right now when we’re all practicing self-quarantine) you can have a quick home workout by combining some squats, knee bends, pushups and such. If you don’t want to work out, you can stay active in other ways by doing chores, gardening, playing with your kids or doing some DIY around the house—whatever keeps you distracted.
Keep the benefits in mind
Write down all the reasons you want to ditch tobacco and keep them somewhere visible. Here are just some people who usually use as inspiration:
- Being healthier
- Saving money
- Setting a good example for kids
- Sparing loved ones from secondhand smoke
Avoid triggering situations
Your cravings will likely skyrocket in situations where you used to smoke, such as parties, bars, work breaks, long phone calls… Identify your triggering situations and try your best to avoid them. If you can’t avoid these situations, occupy yourself with something like doodling while taking on the phone, snacking while on break from work, etc.
Find a support group
The right support from people around you can greatly help with your cravings, so ask someone you trust to be your “sponsor”. If you don’t have support in your physical life, you can always find it in the virtual world by visiting online no-smoking programs. These will also give you other ways people learned to resist cravings.
Every time you do something to prevent cravings or stay strong and push through them, you’re one step closer to ditching tobacco forever, so be persistent!
