Smoke-Free Tips + Tricks

Quitting smoking can be an uphill battle. You’re fighting against your physical addiction and your ingrained mental habits. You need every tool at your disposal to achieve your goal of quitting smoking. To help you on your journey, we’ve compiled a master-list of the best tips and tricks recommended by previous smokers who’ve faced the ups and downs of quitting smoking:

Mind Games

• Spend a few days beforehand getting mentally prepared to quit cigarettes.
• Tell yourself everyday that you’re happy about quitting (even if you’re not). Saying a positive affirmation like this out loud has been proven to help people change their mindset.
• Make a written list of the benefits of quitting and hang it up somewhere visible.
• Read Allen Carr’s Easy Way To Stop Smoking. This book has helped millions of people shift their mindset about quitting. TLDR: It is not some huge massive fight that you cannot win, it is simply a mental hurdle that you can overcome.
• Make a wager: Do you have a buddy who also wants to quit? Put something on the line! A recent study revealed that smokers with $150 of their own money at stake were much more likely to kick the habit than those who didn’t have to wager their own cash.
• Keep in mind, you’re quitting smoking (and the smell and yellow teeth that come with it), but you’re not necessarily quitting nicotine.

Keep Your Hands and Mouth Busy

• Mints, gum, warhead spray… whatever is your favourite thing to nibble or chew on! These help fight the temptation, and keep your mouth occupied for a few minutes until the temptation passes.
• Another great option is an e-cigarette. Vaping mimics the hand-to-mouth motion you’re used to and also curbs nicotine withdrawal. To learn more about replacing smoking with vaping, check out this article
• Keep a Worry Stone, stress ball, sensory toy, or clothes pegs in your pocket and hold them when you feel a craving.

Replacement Habits

• Drink less alcohol. Drinking lowers your inhibitions, which increases the chances of falling off the wagon. Cut back on your drinking, and it will help you keep your guard up.
• Walk away from your problem. Every time you want to smoke, go for a walk instead. Not only does another activity distract you from your craving, walking is also proven to lower your cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone). If you’re triggered by stress, this tip is a double whammy because it hits your cravings at the source!
• Practice deep breathing. Smoking involves deep breathing, and that's one of the ways it helps people to relax. So when you quit, continue the deep breathing, but without the smoke.
• The Rule of Threes: mark every third milestone and reward yourself. Once you make it for three hours without a smoke, get yourself something nice but inexpensive. Same with three days, three weeks, three months. Eventually, you’ll be craving-free.
• Download an app to help you quit smoking.