Understanding Cigarette Cravings During Your Quit Journey
When you stop smoking, it’s completely normal to experience strong urges to smoke. These cravings can feel sudden and intense, but they are temporary. Understanding why they happen — and knowing how to manage them — can make your quit attempt feel much more manageable.
Below, we explain what cravings are, why they occur, and simple, evidence-based ways to cope with them.
What cigarette cravings are –
During your quit attempt, you will often feel a sudden and powerful desire to smoke – these are called urges or cigarette cravings. They pop up like a YouTube ad you can’t skip, and you’ve got to wait them out. As quickly as they came, you’ll realise that the urges have gone, and you no longer want to smoke.
Don’t worry, these urges are very common and completely normal. Yes, they’ll be uncomfortable, but it just means that your brain is adjusting to a life without cigarettes.
Why they happen –
1) Nicotine
As we know, cigarettes contain nicotine and this is what makes them so addictive. How? Well nicotine enters your brain quickly and makes it release a chemical called dopamine, that gives you a short and quick “reward” feeling.
This process is really fast, so your brain craves nicotine pretty soon after. That’s why you have the urge to smoke.
2) Habits
Have you every heard a song at a specific time and attached it to that event? What happened when you heard that song again? Did you think of that memory? Well this also explains why we have smoking urges.
Some people have been smoking for a long time, so they will have built up a bank of situations where they always smoked and because of this, their brain will always expect them to smoke at these times. For example, a lot of people smoke after dinner, so they find that they always experience a craving at this time. Or they might be used to smoking outside the pub during half-time when the football’s on.
How to deal with them –
A good way to think about urges is to imagine them as waves you need to ride out – rather than crushing them, you need to let them run their course. Be kind to yourself and remember that these urges will end. But in the meantime, you can try:
1) Breathing techniques -
Using breathing techniques during urges will help lower your heart rate, and this tells your brain that you’re safe, making the craving feel less urgent. They will also distract you from the urge, allowing you to focus on something else. Here’s a few breathing techniques you can try:
Box Breathing Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Five-Finger Breathing Extend one hand and use the index finger of your other hand to trace its outline. As you move up each finger, inhale through your nose, pausing at the top to hold your breathe. You can then exhale slowly through your mouth as you move down the finger. Repeat this for each finger.
2) Distractions –
Each urge will only last 2-3 minutes. So ask yourself, what can I do to distract myself whilst I ride the wave? Once you’ve completed your chosen task, you’ll notice that the urge to smoke has gone. You can use the examples below or find something that works for you:
· do some cleaning · sing a song · make a snack · talk to a friend · check your social media
3) Self-talk -
Sometimes we just need to talk ourselves through it. Remind yourself of everything you’ve learnt so far:
· “This is temporary. It WILL pass” · “This is normal. Everyone experiences it” · “Nothing is wrong. My brain is just getting used to a life without cigarettes” · “This is a wave. I will ride it”
Cravings Are Temporary — Your Progress Is Permanent
Cigarette cravings are uncomfortable, but they are not dangerous. They are simply signs that your brain is adjusting. Every time you ride out an urge, you strengthen your ability to stay smoke-free.
The more you practise these skills, the easier it becomes.
