Understanding nicotine triggers

Triggers are anything that reminds you of smoking and pushes you to crave a cigarette again. These can come up in all sorts of ways. For example, you might be dealing with stress, drinking a coffee you usually paired with a cigarette, or smelling smoke at a social gathering.

These triggers can show up in different ways, but they’re generally grouped into the following categories:

  • Pattern
  • Withdrawal
  • Social
  • Emotional

The best way to manage your triggers is by being fully aware of what they are and recognising that they’re part of your life.

Emotional triggers

Are you a smoker who, when faced with strong or complex emotions, feels the urge to smoke because it seems to make everything feel a bit better? Maybe you’ve found yourself reaching for a cigarette when you’re feeling:

  • Angry
  • Anxious
  • Stressed
  • Or bored.

These emotions can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to think smoking helps take the edge off. Below are some ways to manage your feelings without depending on a cigarette:

  • Start by taking a few deep, slow breaths. It’s a simple step, but it can help calm your body and mind, making it easier to deal with stress naturally. Deep breathing slows things down and gives you a moment to centre yourself.
  • Exercise. Keeping active not only distracts you from the urge to smoke, but it also triggers the release of endorphins – those feel-good chemicals in your brain. A quick walk, a jog, or even just stretching can lift your mood.
  • Listen to relaxing music. Listening to something soothing can work wonders. It can help slow down your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and reduce stress hormones. As a result, you’ll feel calmer and more in control.

Pattern Triggers

A pattern trigger is any activity or repeated action that reignites your urge to smoke. These are the things you’ve come to associate with smoking, and they can crop up in situations like:

  • Having your morning coffee
  • Finishing a meal
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Going for a drive
  • Stepping outside on your break

Since it’s the repetitive nature of these actions that brings back the craving to smoke, breaking the link between the trigger and the urge can help you manage it. You can shift that feeling onto something else by trying a few simple changes:

  • Mix things up a bit. If you usually have your coffee outside with a cigarette, try drinking it indoors or at a different time of day. After meals, brush your teeth straight away to distract yourself from the urge to light up.
  • Find something else to keep your mouth busy. Chewing gum or having a sugar-free lolly can do the trick. Even sipping water through a straw can help you break that connection between the trigger and smoking.
  • Keep your hands busy as well. Sometimes it’s the physical habit of holding a cigarette that’s hard to shake. Try squeezing a stress ball, writing in a journal, or picking up a hobby that keeps your hands occupied.
  • Get moving. Take a walk, go for a swim, or even just use the stairs instead of the lift. Keeping active not only helps break the habit but also gives you a boost of those feel-good endorphins.

Social Triggers

Social triggers are events where you would normally feel the urge to smoke. Here are some examples:

  • Going to an outdoor social event
  • Having a beer at the pub
  • Or even just seeing someone else smoking

Once you’ve decided to stop smoking, it’s crucial to stay away from places where people smoke and ask your friends not to smoke around you. Over time, it will get easier. Tell your family and friends that you are stopping, and ask them to back you up.

Withdrawal triggers

If you’ve been smoking for a while, your body is used to getting nicotine on a regular basis. When you stop smoking, withdrawal symptoms will make you want to smoke again. Some things that cause withdrawal may include:

  • Smelling cigarette smoke
  • Being somewhere you can’t smoke, like on a plane
  • Having cigarettes, lighters, and matches on you
  • Having trouble sleeping

When dealing with things that make it hard to quit, start by getting your mind off of it.

Check out nicotine vaping products (NVPs) and nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) to see if they can help you. These help to ease the symptoms of withdrawal by providing your body with nicotine.

Dealing with cravings

Now that you know more about triggers, figure out which ones you want to control and make a plan for dealing with your cravings.

Not all of your triggers will be possible to avoid, and it takes practise to learn how to deal with triggers. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place to resist the urge to smoke whenever a craving arises.

Although unpleasant, cravings don’t last forever. A list of tactics can aid you through it, so try a few of these.

Consider your motivations for quitting

  • Remember why you wanted to stop in the first place. Consistently reminding yourself of these will help you stay smokefree for a long time.
  • Figure out your savings. Cigarettes are expensive, especially in Australia. Determine what you’ll do with the money you’ll save by adding it all up. This is a fantastic way to remain motivated and pass the time as you wait for a craving to pass.

Keep yourself busy

  • Keep your mouth distracted. Instead of lighting up a cigarette, chew some gum. Carry sugar-free lollies with you. Up your water intake.
  • Switch things up. Stop what you’re doing as soon as a craving strikes and do something else instead. You might be able to overcome a craving by simply changing your routine.
  • Take a stroll or a run. Alternately, take the stairs a few times. Even brief bouts of exercise can help you feel more energised and suppress cravings.
  • Take deep, slow breaths. Use your nose to slowly breathe in, and your mouth to let it out. Do this 10 times or until you start to feel more at ease.

Visit a smokefree area

  • Go to a public location. The majority of public spaces forbid smoking. Visit a shopping mall, see a movie, or go to some other location where smoking is prohibited.
  • Do what you already do in no-smoking situations. What have you previously done when you were in a smokefree place? Use the same strategy the next time you have a craving.

Try a fast-acting nicotine product

Cravings can pop up at any time. To quickly overcome these, consider using a fast-acting nicotine alternative such as a nicotine vaping product (NVP) or NRT, such as gum and lozenges.

Lend a hand

For a while, try diverting your attention by offering assistance to friends, family, and coworkers. This shifts your attention away from you and how you are feeling and enables you to focus on the other person. It can help you get through a craving until it goes away.

Additionally, doing good deeds can improve your health by lowering stress. An important aspect of giving up smoking is often managing stress.

Never give up

Make every effort to resist the urge to smoke. Continue experimenting until you discover what works for you, and keep at it.

Avoid smoking at all costs. Not a single puff!