How to Stop Thinking About Smoking

Giving up cigarettes can be tough when it feels like you can't stop thinking about smoking. Smoking might seem like an enjoyable pastime because you associate it with comfort, entertainment, and companionship. 

At the same time, you might relate smoking cessation to feelings of pain, misery, and sacrifice. These opposing feelings are reinforced on a subconscious level, below the surface of your thoughts.

These conflicting ideas can lead to unhealthy and inaccurate beliefs that make it much more difficult to quit.

Evaluate Your Thoughts About Quitting

Recognizing the thought patterns contributing to smoking is a crucial first step toward quitting.

• Visualizing smoking: Such thoughts can trigger cravings, such as thinking about how good it would feel to light up when you're stressed.
• Rationalizing smoking: These thoughts can also include rationalizations that justify smoking. For example, you might tell yourself that you'll exercise more or eat healthier to offset the damage caused by cigarettes.
• Thinking negatively: Such thoughts that undermine your self-efficacy or your belief in your ability to quit successfully. These thoughts can include negative self-talk that kills your motivation and self-belief. You might think, "I'll never be able to quit, so I might as well not bother."
  

Try Mindfulness and Acceptance

Have you ever noticed that when you try to stop having a certain thought, it tends to make you think about it even more? If you tell yourself not to think about smoking, chances are you'll be inundated with thoughts and urges to grab another cigarette.

Thought-stopping is a technique sometimes used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to disrupt negative thought patterns. It can be helpful in some instances, but research has also found that it is often ineffective and can sometimes worsen obsessive or anxious thoughts.

So, what can you do instead of trying to stop or suppress a thought? When you find yourself thinking about smoking, mindfulness, and acceptance can help you observe and acknowledge your thoughts without judgment. 

Recognizing that you can have thoughts without acting on them can help make these urges seem less powerful and distressing.

Create Distance from Emotions

Never allow yourself to think "I need to smoke." That's way too emotional. Change it to something wordy enough to take the passion out of the sentiment, like, "I'm feeling some tension that I would have interpreted in the past as a desire for a cigarette."

You can apply the same strategy to thoughts like, "I want to smoke." You might replace it with something like, "I'm experiencing a craving, but these feeling are tolerable and I know that it will pass eventually."

In addition to being unemotional, analyzing the feeling makes you realize that you are not actually in pain over a craving to smoke.

Don't Rationalize Your Behavior

When you find yourself facing an urge to smoke, it can be all too easy to find ways to rationalize your behavior. Never allow yourself to think, "I could have just one."

Believing that you could quit after just having one cigarette is a way of rationalizing giving in to cravings. Instead, change it to "I could become a smoker again."

Never let yourself think that you "might smoke," even if it's in the context of being "afraid" that you will smoke. That's just permitting yourself to do it, even if the permission comes with the price of beating yourself up later.

Practice Gratitude

Point out the good stuff to yourself. Everyone sees the healing changes at different rates. Even on your first smoke-free day, you can find something good.

Gratitude can be a great way to shift your thinking so that you appreciate the great things about being smoke-free. As you notice them, write them down. You'll be amazed at how fast you come to take the benefits for granted.

Remind yourself how good you feel. Over time, your subconscious really does come to believe what you tell yourself.

Try writing, "I am so glad to be free," on a Post-it and stick it to your bathroom mirror so that you are sure to remind yourself of this every morning. Consider keeping a gratitude journal where you can track what you are thankful for.

Deal With Your Triggers

Recognizing the situations, people, and objects that make you think about smoking is critical. You might associate smoking with spending time in certain places or with certain people.

Common triggers can include:

• Spending time in places where you used to smoke
• Drinking alcohol
• Feeling depressed
• Seeing other people who are smoking
• Feeling sad, bored, or happy

The good news is that thoughts about smoking tend to fade the longer you avoid cigarettes. One study found that such cravings become less likely once you make it past one year of being smoke-free.

Reframe How You Think About Smoking

Try to shift your thinking when it comes to quitting smoking. Don't think of it as giving up something. Instead, focus on the benefits of quitting. Think about how much better you'll feel. Remind yourself about the health benefits of quitting. Or even think about how much money you can save when you stop purchasing cigarettes.

Never let your mind start to romanticize how great everything was when you "got to" smoke. Instead, remember what it was really like when you were addicted to nicotine. If smoking was all that great, you wouldn't have ever considered quitting. Take a minute now and remember all the negative things that inspired you to quit smoking in the first place.

Find Distractions

You're more likely to find yourself thinking about smoking when you are feeling bored. You can combat this by staying occupied, especially during the times when you're more likely to crave a cigarette.

Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to take your mind off of smoking. For example, you might:

• Go for a walk
• Call a friend
• Practice a hobby
• Have a healthy snack
• Watch TV
• Read a book
• Do some housework
• Organize a closet
• Do some yardwork
• Take a yoga class
• Visit the local library
• Go for a hike
• Visit the mall
• Play a sport

Ask Friends and Family for Support

Enlist the help of loved ones to help you stop thinking about smoking. When the urge hits, reach out to your friends. Once you do, wait for at least three answers to your call for help. By the time those three come in, the "urgency" to smoke will have passed.

What if you're out, and you won't be able to post until you get home? Think about how long you've already gone without smoking. What difference will a few more hours make? Give your friends a chance to help before you relapse.

Use Mantras to Stay on Track

A mantra is a phrase or word that you repeat. They are often used in meditation, but they can also be tools to keep your mind focused on your goals. They can act as positive affirmations that remind you of your commitment to stay smoke-free.

Some examples of mantras you might repeat include:

• I choose my health over smoking.
• I am in control of my choices.
• I am stronger than my cravings.
• I deserve to live a healthy life free of cigarettes.
• My body is healing every day that I remain smoke-free.
• I am proud of my progress.
• I can overcome the challenges I face.

Choose mantras that resonate the most with you. Whenever you think about smoking, try repeating your mantra to help you stay committed to your quitting journey.

Where to Get Help

If you struggle to manage smoking-related thoughts, talk to a mental health professional. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that can help you change your thought patterns and develop new coping strategies. 

If you feel like you can't stop thinking about smoking, consider reaching out to your doctor. They may recommend nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to help you manage your cigarette cravings.

These products, which include lozenges, gum, patches, and mouth sprays, can help you gradually reduce the nicotine you consume without exposing you to the damaging toxins in cigarettes.

Research has found that NRTs can increase the quitting rates by 50% to 60%.

Your doctor may also recommend prescription medications that can help you quit. Zyban (bupropion) and Chantix (varenicline tartrate) may be helpful.