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Home > Fitness & Health > Health Library > Smoking Triggers
Many common activities or events can trigger the urge to smoke. Knowing how to deal with them can help you prevent a slip or relapse. Here are some common triggers and ideas for how you might deal with them.
Get up from the table immediately and do something else. For example, rinse your mouth with mouthwash or brush your teeth, go for a walk, or begin doing something you enjoy.
Instead of smoking a cigarette before moving on to your next project, try taking a short walk or reading a section of the newspaper or a chapter of a novel you're enjoying.
If you're still feeling angry or upset, let off steam by walking briskly around the building.
Sometimes just seeing a pack of cigarettes, or seeing someone else smoking, is enough to make you want to smoke. Plan ahead so that if you get the urge for a cigarette, you can reach in your pocket and pull out a stick of sugarless gum or a mint.
Activities at work and social events may also trigger the urge to smoke. Here are some suggestions for avoiding these triggers.
Avoid the smoking areas at your workplace. If there is an entryway where people who smoke gather during breaks or before work, find another entryway, or time your arrival to avoid the smokers.
Avoid places where people who smoke go during the break. Seek out the company of people who don't smoke, and spend your break with them.
Quitting smoking may impact your social life. You don't have to skip parties altogether, but if you do go, don't go with your friends when they go outside for a cigarette. If people are smoking indoors, or if it's an outdoor party, try to sit or stand as far away as possible from people who are smoking. Step out for a breath of fresh air if you need to—but don't smoke!
After you have had a drink, your resolve not to smoke may weaken. You may choose to give up or cut down on drinking alcohol when you first quit smoking. Varying the kind of alcohol and the place where you drink may help break the trigger, but it will not help with the weakened willpower.
Current as of: November 8, 2021
Author: Healthwise StaffMedical Review: Adam Husney MD - Family MedicineKathleen Romito MD - Family MedicineChristine R. Maldonado PhD - Behavioral Health
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Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Christine R. Maldonado PhD - Behavioral Health
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