Learn how to defeat nicotine cravings and urges after you quit smoking.

1. Defeating Nicotine Cravings Or
Urges
By
http://2stopsmokingtips.com

2. Introduction
• If you have successfully ditched cigarettes, we
say congratulations. But know that you have
another enemy in the form of cravings or
urges to smoke. And even though these
cravings can be compelling, you can
overpower them. It’s like a war and each time
you resist an urge to smoke, you move closer
to your stop smoking goal.

3. Using Affirmations
• Each time a nicotine craving hits you, use
affirmations to get through. Say your
affirmations loud to yourself: “I am a non-
smoker, smoking is no longer a part of my
make-up.” Repeat it several times, it will sink
into your system. Your mind will come to
accept it and it will help you overcome
subsequent nicotine cravings.

4. Physical Cravings
• Another thing is to know that even though
tobacco cravings may be intense, they are
usually short-lived, and will pass within three
to five minutes whether you smoke or not.
These cravings come in 2 forms: physical and
psychological cravings. Physical cravings,
which are your body’s response to the
absence of nicotine, disappear after 3 days.
They include feelings of anxiety, headache,
tightness in the throat or belly.

5. Psychological Cravings
• Psychological cravings, on the other hand,
linger for a long time and are triggered by the
events in your daily life. In a way, we can call
psychological cravings thoughts, that is, your
constant thinking about smoking. But the
good thing is that thoughts can be ignored. So
just ignore them. You may not believe it but
you can use your mind to quit smoking.

6. Always Be Prepared
• Like the Boys Scouts’ Motto, always be
prepared for cravings.Think ahead and plan
ways to handle and cope with cravings.
Formulate a plan to distract yourself each time
you feel a strong urge to smoke. You build up
your confidence to successfully handle a
craving each time you say NO to a temptation
to smoke.

7. Nicotine Cravings Fade With Time
• Nicotine or tobacco cravings start right after
your last cigarette and lessen over months.
How long the cravings last depend on how
long and how often you smoke. Although they
decrease with time, urges may still occur for
about three to six months after quitting. The
longer you distance yourself from cigarettes,
the fewer urges you’ll have.

8. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to Smoke
• Immediately a craving hits you, change the
scenery. Get up and move around, go into a
different room, or even go outside. If you can,
take a five to ten-minute walk. Walk around
the building. Breathe deeply as you do so. A
brief workout and a change of scene helps!

9. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(2)
• When Brian Tracy wrote the book; Change your
thinking, Change Your Life, he meant you could
control your life with your thoughts and when a
craving strikes, you can find a way to redirect
your thoughts from the idea of smoking. Remind
yourself of your reasons for smoking cessation
and concentrate on why you don’t want to
smoke. Focus 100% on the benefits of quitting
and affirm to yourself that smoking is not an
alternative, no matter how tough things may be.

10. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(3)
• Delay yourself from giving in to a craving.Tell
yourself you must wait 10 minutes before you
have a cigarette and engage in something to
distract yourself for that period of time. This
simple trick may be enough to weaken your
nicotine craving. Repeat as often as needed.
Remind yourself that the craving will pass. The
nicotine withdrawal period will pass, too.

11. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(4)
• Several times you will be tempted to have just
one cigarette to satisfy an intense craving. Don’t
give in, because having just one leads to another,
then another — and you may end up smoking
cigarettes again.
• Enlist the support of a family member, friend,
accountability partner or support group as you
struggle to overcome nicotine withdrawal
symptoms. Chat on the phone, go for a walk
together or simply share a few laughs. Life is
beautiful, don’t allow cravings to spoil your fun.

12. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(5)
• Avoid situations in which you formerly smoked
as they could trigger an urge to smoke. For
instance, if you used to smoke while drinking
alcohol, avoid alcohol because nicotine
cravings are likely to be strongest in the
situations where you smoked most of the
time. If you used to smoke at parties, stop
attending them, at least for a while.

13. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(6)
• If you used to smoke while driving, start
commuting with public transportation. I can
hear you say, “is it that serious?” Yes, it is.
Drastic problems deserve drastic solutions.
Identify your trigger situations and devise a
plan to avoid them or get through them
without going back to cigarettes.

14. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(7)
• Get into the exercise mode. Exercise can help
distract you from cigarette cravings and bring
down the intensity level of cravings. It lessens
cravings, relieves stress, improves mood, and can
help you keep the weight off. A daily and
consistent 30 minutes of moderate physical
workout can make a craving or urge go away. Get
out for a walk or jog. If you’re stuck at home or
the office, try indoor exercises like push-ups or
walking up and down the stairs a few times.

15. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(8)
• Take deep breaths throughout the day.
Visualise the fresh air filling your lungs and
remind yourself of the various advantages of
quitting to your health. Learning relaxation
and meditation techniques could help you
deal with stress and stressful situations.

16. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(9)
• Don’t use nicotine replacement therapies such
as gums or patches. They keep the nicotine in
your blood for a longer period than good old
cold turkey quitting. It’s best to get the
nicotine out of your system at once and get
the withdrawal done in days instead of letting
it run for months.

17. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(10)
• Keep yourself busy throughout the day. Get
involved in a hobby you love. Play a musical
instrument, browse the Internet, knit, play a
video game, whatever, just find an activity
that will occupy your hands and change the
focus of your thoughts. A sort of distraction,
you may say.

18. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(11)
• Drink water and juice abundantly. Water busts
your urge to smoke and helps your
metabolism work with more efficiency. Water
is one of nature’s free but effective quit
smoking aids; use it to your advantage. See
more natural ways to cleanse the body after
quitting.

19. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(12)
• Substitute smoking with eating a healthy
snack, chewing sugarless gum, munching raw
carrots, or sucking on a piece of hard candy
each time a smoking craving strikes. But
please avoid foods that you associate with
smoking to avoid a relapse.

20. 13 Ways to Defeat the Urge to
Smoke(13)
• Each time you successfully resist an urge to
smoke, use the money you would have used
to buy cigarettes to reward yourself. Eat your
favourite meal, go to the movies, take a
vacation, whatever. It’s not an easy thing to
do, so, celebrate every little success you attain
on the way. Take each craving as it comes,
don’t be anxious about tomorrow. Tomorrow
will sort out itself.

21. Conclusion
• A craving or urge is definitely not a command
to smoke; it’s just a suggestion and how you
react to it will determine the success or
otherwise of your stop smoking goal. Say NO
to your cravings today!!!

22. Thanks For Reading!!!
• For more incisive articles, please visit:
• http://2stopsmokingtips.com