7 Tips to Controlling Your Urge to Smoke

The process of quitting smoking may be a lengthy one. It may take you a long period of time to finally be considered an ex-smoker. It is very possibly that it may take you years until you put out your very last cigarette. In contrast, it may only take you a few weeks. It varies for each individual. If you quit cold turkey, use the slow method, or stumble along the way of quitting, each of you that have tried to quit smoking or are trying now to quit can admit you have had urges to smoke. If you are trying the slow method, your urge would come in the form of smoking more cigarettes than what you allotted yourself for that day. Having a plan for what to do when the urge and cravings pop up will greatly improve your chances of not caving in to the temptation.

Tip One. Figure out when it is you typically want a cigarette. Is it right after a meal? If so, plan ahead for this moment. If you know that is going to be the peak time for a craving to hit, avoid it. Not avoid eating a meal, but have a plan of action in place to do something as soon as you get done eating will help stave off the urge to smoke.

Tip Two. Create a plan of attack. Chewing a piece of gum, sucking on a piece of hard candy, or the use of a stress ball can help if the urge to smoke happens. Some smokers enjoy the taste and feel of a fresh and clean mouth. Brush your teeth or gargle anytime you start to have the urge to smoke.

Tip Three. Help stave off the urge to smoke by not exposing yourself to unnecessary temptations. For example, if you go out to eat, do not sit in the smoking section of the restaurant. Don't go to tobacco stores. Try to limit the time you spend with other smokers. If you are around cigarettes your willpower is going to be tested unnecessarily.

Tip Four. Rid your home and car of smoking related items. Remove cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, and matches from your home. Wash linens and drapes to get the smell of smoke out of your house. Using Febreeze on non-washable cloth surfaces can also help. Ridding your home of the smell of smoke may encourage you to not smoke because you won't want your home smelling like cigarettes again.

Tip Five. Breaking routines that you had that revolved around smoking may also increase your chances of quitting. Possibly rearranging the area you once smoked at could help you reduce your urge to smoke. This works best if you always made a habit of smoking in the same place such as in the living room next to a window. Moving the chair to another room of the house could help you avoid the temptation.

Tip Six. Start a journal or blog about your goal of quitting smoking. This will help ensure that you stay on task of meeting goals and remembering your priorities. For example, if you set a goal to be down to 5 cigarettes a day by week 4, you could look at your journal and remember that your goal was met at week 3. This may help encourage you further to keep trying hard. In contrast, if you are still smoking 8 cigarettes by week four, you can look into adjusting some of the things you are doing and see if there may be a better way for you to try to meet your goal.

Tip Seven. If you are certain that you can quit smoking, you believe it is possible, and you have faith in your abilities, then nothing can stop you from achieving that goal. Starting out on your journey to becoming a non-smoker with a confident attitude will greatly increase your chance of success. This faith will help you stay strong when you have the urge to light up. Hold fast to your decision to quit smoking and soon you will find that it will get easier to avoid the urge to smoke.

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