For those of us who have stopped smoking, we know the hardest thing to get past is the cravings. One of the first things you need to look at is what triggered this craving?
Did it come from you drinking a cup of coffee, or getting in the car? Was it because you were reading a good book or because your sister called? Whatever the reason, you need to find it and recognize it.
Once it has been recognized, let's deal with it. First if you did not relapse and cave into smoking then congratulate yourself and give yourself a pat on the back. However if you did relapse and smoke a cigarette, recognize first that you are not a failure. Everyone goes through this differently, and at different speeds. Once you realize what triggered this craving then you need to see if you can avoid this from happening. I know some things are easier sad then done. You can't control when someone calls, or if you have to go somewhere. What you can control is if you have cigarettes with you when someone calls or when you go somewhere, or while you are reading of doing whatever it was that triggered your craving.
If you tend to get cravings when you drink coffee, then leave the cigarettes behind while you are enjoying your morning cup. If you tend to smoke while on the phone, leave them in the other room. It's very important that you recognize what is causing them and avoid it at all cost. If that means leaving your cigarettes in the house while you run errands to keep you from smoking in the car then so be it.
If you are like most people, then you have more than one habit that will trigger a craving, you might have several. My suggestion is to work on one or two at a time. It is not healthy to make too many drastic changes in your life at once; doing that is just setting yourself up for failure. This is one area, where I hate to see any failures, set backs are ok, but when you quit trying that is when you become a failure.
So right now, while it is fresh on your mind make a list of triggers that might cause a relapse in your quitting plan. Then write down a definite plan for tackling each one of them individually or as pairs. It is always a good idea to enlist support, family, friends, professional help or even books or programs you can do on your own. It is not weak to ask for help, it is smart, it makes quitting smoking that much easier. So either call up your friends or check out some websites to see what kind of help you might need. Quitting smoking or any addiction is a huge task for many of us, so get the help you need before trying to tackle quitting smoking.
Remember to recognize what triggered your craving and tackle it. Doing this will not only make having relapses easier; it will help you stay smoke free for life. Always look ahead to breathing easier, with less risk of lung disease, heart attack and high blood pressure, and having a longer and happier life.
Did it come from you drinking a cup of coffee, or getting in the car? Was it because you were reading a good book or because your sister called? Whatever the reason, you need to find it and recognize it.
Once it has been recognized, let's deal with it. First if you did not relapse and cave into smoking then congratulate yourself and give yourself a pat on the back. However if you did relapse and smoke a cigarette, recognize first that you are not a failure. Everyone goes through this differently, and at different speeds. Once you realize what triggered this craving then you need to see if you can avoid this from happening. I know some things are easier sad then done. You can't control when someone calls, or if you have to go somewhere. What you can control is if you have cigarettes with you when someone calls or when you go somewhere, or while you are reading of doing whatever it was that triggered your craving.
If you tend to get cravings when you drink coffee, then leave the cigarettes behind while you are enjoying your morning cup. If you tend to smoke while on the phone, leave them in the other room. It's very important that you recognize what is causing them and avoid it at all cost. If that means leaving your cigarettes in the house while you run errands to keep you from smoking in the car then so be it.
If you are like most people, then you have more than one habit that will trigger a craving, you might have several. My suggestion is to work on one or two at a time. It is not healthy to make too many drastic changes in your life at once; doing that is just setting yourself up for failure. This is one area, where I hate to see any failures, set backs are ok, but when you quit trying that is when you become a failure.
So right now, while it is fresh on your mind make a list of triggers that might cause a relapse in your quitting plan. Then write down a definite plan for tackling each one of them individually or as pairs. It is always a good idea to enlist support, family, friends, professional help or even books or programs you can do on your own. It is not weak to ask for help, it is smart, it makes quitting smoking that much easier. So either call up your friends or check out some websites to see what kind of help you might need. Quitting smoking or any addiction is a huge task for many of us, so get the help you need before trying to tackle quitting smoking.
Remember to recognize what triggered your craving and tackle it. Doing this will not only make having relapses easier; it will help you stay smoke free for life. Always look ahead to breathing easier, with less risk of lung disease, heart attack and high blood pressure, and having a longer and happier life.