Quitting Smoking: Quick Tips to Help With Cravings

If you are actively quitting smoking, or trying to cut down on cigarettes, you will find that the following quick tips are easy to remember. They are also very effective in helping you make it through a craving.

The 4 Ds

• Delay: If you can delay lighting up for 2 or 3 minutes, the urge may pass.

• Deep Breathing: Taking 10 slow, deep breaths are recommended by stress management
experts to help people calm themselves. Instead of taking short, shallow breaths, be aware of how your abdomen rises as you inhale and falls when you exhale.

• Drink Water: Water helps to flush nicotine totally out of your body within 72 hours- if you do not smoke another cigarette or use nicotine gum, the patch or other such products..

• Do Something Else: Find something else to do for 10 – 15 minutes. It may help the urge to pass. You may find that you get engrossed in the new activity and forget about smoking the cigarette you were craving. Examples include: checking email, doing a crossword puzzle or suduko, brushing your teeth, cleaning a window, taking a short walk.

HALT- Don’t let yourself get too:

Hungry – Angry – Lonely – Tired

You’ve smoked for all these reasons in the past. You’ve satisfied your hunger with a cigarette when there’s no food around to eat (or when you are trying to cut calories). You’ve soothed difficult feelings like anger, sadness, fear, and loneliness with a cigarette. And you’ve lit a cigarette when you’re tired to keep you alert and focus.

Try these techniques. They work well when you use them. They will help you quit smoking.