So, you have quit smoking—congratulations! You have just taken one of the most important steps you can take to protect your health and the health of those around you.
However, you might be experiencing urges to smoke, particularly during the first few days. It’s important to remember that nicotine cravings do not last long--most last only 3 to 5 minutes. As time passes, they get weaker and come less often. You could still have some cravings, but they will just pass by. If you quit Cold Turkey, the nicotine will be out of your body after only 3 days.
Try these techniques to get through those cravings:
Delay......................................Wait it out.
Distract yourself.................Do something else.
Deep breathe......................Release tension.
Drink water...........................Satisfy the craving.
For more ideas, click here.
And remember the two R’s:
Remind…………..Go over your reasons to quit.
Refuse……………Think: it’s not that you can’t smoke, it’s that you don’t want to smoke.
For free, confidential help over the phone to quit smoking or to stay quit, please call the California Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887) or register online for services. For more information, download our free fact sheet:
1. American Cancer Society. (2014, February 6). Guide to quitting smoking. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002971-pdf.pdsf