How to cope when you want to smoke

If you understand what makes you want to smoke, you can plan ways to avoid smoking.

Keep a smoking diary for 2 weeks. This can help you see patterns of when you smoke or when you want to smoke. For example, situations, feelings or routine activities.

After you deal with a difficult situation without smoking a few times, you’ll become more confident. You will be less likely to start smoking again.

Stress and smoking

Some people smoke when they feel stressed. But smoking does not relax your body.

Smoking:

• increases anxiety and the risk of depression
• causes your body to produce a stress hormone called adrenaline
• raises your blood pressure and heart rate

Smoking and mental health

Coping with stress

Before you quit, think about ways you can manage stressful situations instead of smoking.

For example, you could:

• go on a walk
• talk to someone
• try deep breathing or other exercises to manage stress
• take up a new hobby or use existing ones so you have time for yourself
• find safer ways to cope - tips and self-help for stress
• try to change any negative thoughts into more helpful ones
• listen to calming music or any music you enjoy
• do something that makes you feel good

These tips can also help if you smoke when you feel nervous, bored or angry.

Do not try to manage your stress with alcohol, caffeine, cannabis or other drugs.

Low mood, irritability and anxiety are very common withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can help to reduce these symptoms.

Advice on how to cope with nicotine withdrawal

Reducing stress

To reduce stress and feel better:

• be realistic about what you can achieve
• learn to accept what you cannot change
• take one thing at a time and say no if you do not want to do something
• delegate - getting others to help you with things can make your day less hectic
• prioritise your time - only do the things you have to do
• let go of things in arguments - do not make life a battleground
• eat healthy meals at regular times
• get enough sleep
• do things for others

Common smoking triggers

Common things that make people want to smoke include alcohol and being around other people who smoke.

Alcohol and socialising

Many people associate alcohol and smoking. Alcohol can also reduce your inhibitions.

To help you cope in social situations, you could:

• stop or reduce alcohol in the first few weeks of quitting
• hold your drink in the hand you used to smoke with
• chew sugarless gum
• use the 4 Ds - distract yourself, delay until the craving passes, do 20 deep breaths and drink a glass of water in small sips

Going to pubs after you quit may be hard at first. It can help to meet people in other places until it gets easier.

Being around people who smoke

If being around people who smoke is difficult, you could:

• make rules around smoking in your home
• tell other people how it would help if they did not smoke around you
• ask friends or family not to offer you cigarettes
• avoid smoking areas
• ask someone to stay with you if other people go out to smoke or vape
• move away from someone who is smoking until you feel in control
• practise saying 'No thanks - I don’t smoke'

Habits and routines

Some things may make you want to smoke if cigarettes were a part of your routine. But small changes to your routine can help to break the link with smoking.

For example, you could:

• brush your teeth first thing in the morning or after meals
• go for a short walk after a meal or phone a friend
• hold your cup in a different hand if you used to smoke with a tea or coffee
• change your usual drink - try fruit juices or herbal teas instead
• chew sugarless gum in situations where you used to smoke
• distract yourself with your phone or check your quit plan
• chew gum, sing or listen to music instead of smoking when you drive
• try deep breathing
• keep mints or nuts in your car to distract from cravings
• prepare healthy snacks such as carrot sticks or fruit
• create a relaxing bedtime routine

Making excuses to smoke

Some people look for reasons to smoke. But there are things you can do to make it easier not to start smoking again.

For example:

• get rid of all cigarettes or smoking equipment in your home and car
• commit to quit - this means not having 1 puff of a cigarette after your quit date
• tell other people that you will not buy tobacco products for them
• ask others to understand and be patient if you are irritable
• plan at least 3 things you could do to avoid smoking if you are around people who smoke

It’s still smoking if:

• it’s a joint
• it’s an ultra-light cigarette
• it’s someone else’s cigarette
• no one sees you smoke it
• you did not buy it
• you’re on holiday

If you have a slip up, think about what caused the slip up and what you can change.