5 Situations When People Crave Cigarettes Most After They Quit

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things that a person can do in their life, and it’s something that many people don’t quite succeed at the first time of trying, but it’s not impossible and is very doable with the right tools and determination to want to quit.

There’s several different factors and situations that people can find themselves in which could encourage them to want to light up a cigarette after they’ve quit, and some of these situations are unavoidable at times to end up in, but what can be avoided is giving in to those urges to put a cigarette in your mouth and light up.

In this article, I’m going to take a look at the 5 most common situations people experience that will encourage them to want to smoke, and give my advice on how to beat these urges and not give in to temptation. Let’s get into it!

1 – Stress

Pretty obvious that this would be the first one if you ask me, and in a survey conducted online asking people what situation would tempt them into smoking a cigarette, over 40% total had the answer of “when feeling stressed”

Stress is something that cannot be avoided unfortunately, and people can find themselves put in situations that can elevate stress to exceedingly high levels that people desperately need a release from. Some people will opt for different releases such as going to the gym or for a run, having an alcoholic drink, or if they’re smokers; having a cigarette.

It’s believed that Nicotine can help alleviate the feeling of stress by creating an immediate sense of relaxation by releasing small amount of Dopamine into the body around 8-10 seconds from when the Nicotine is ingested. This triggers you brain receptors to feel more calm and relaxed and it’s an outlet that many people turn to so they can feel less stressed.

2 – Feeling Anxious

This goes pretty hand in hand with the above, as when someone feels stressed it can also make them feel anxious at the same time.

Anxiety is a condition that many people struggle with, and there’s an umpteen amount of variables that can cause and trigger feeling anxious. Starting a new job, worry about situations in life, travelling to somewhere you’ve never been before, the list is basically endless.

Just like how it helps stress, the Dopamine released from absorbing Nicotine can help reduce anxiety levels as well. People will turn to wanting a cigarette for that “instant” and authentic nicotine hit that they had been used to from smoking.

3 – When Drinking Alcohol

Nothing quite pairs with a nice cold pint or glass of wine like what a cigarette does. Sitting in the beer garden on a warm summers day/evening with friends and wanting to spark up a cigarette, I know that I still get these cravings and urges 7 years on from quitting smoking and using an E-Cigarette all the time.

This is probably my biggest temptation and the thing I have to put the most effort into to not give in to the urges, and others will feel the same also as the survey shows. And there’s actual reasoning as to why these cravings become heightened when you drink.

Alcohol and Nicotine are both stimulants, and can send the brain into overdrive if enough is consumed and you’ll crave for more. So if you drink Alcohol, chances are your brain is going to crave for something else to stimulate it and that thing will be a cigarette if you’re an ex smoker. Alcohol can also release Dopamine in the brain and in turn, adding Nicotine in the mix will 100% further your Dopamine levels.

4 – When Surrounded By Smokers

You’ve quit smoking, perfect! But you find that you’re the only person in your friendship group that has done this amazing feat, and in turn everyone else is still smoking. You go out for a drink or for some food with them and they all step outside to smoke and you follow with your E-Cigarette and in an instant, you’re surrounded by clouds of rich smelling cigarette smoke you were so accustomed to…and the urges begin.

Once a smoker, always a smoker the saying goes. And these urges are something that will not simply go away unfortunately, especially if you smoked for a long time. The smell of cigarette smoke will instantly trigger your receptors to make you reminisce just how much you enjoyed smoking and you’ll want to succumb to temptation and ask someone for a spare cigarette.

It’s hard work to be surrounded by smokers, but it’s the level of willpower that you have that will stop you from wanting to give in to temptation and have that cigarette which will in turn undo all your hard work of quitting them! So stay strong!!

5 – Fear of Missing Out

I’ll always remember the scene in Friends where Rachel takes up smoking so she doesn’t miss out on any office gossip between those that go out for cigarette breaks. Sounds crazy but this actually happens! And it will be hard to leave these groups behind and not join them when you quit smoking.

This is where FOMO comes in to play and is our 5th top reason for wanting to start smoking again. You may feel like you’re missing out on important conversation (or gossip) or find yourself feeling secluded from others while they go out for their cigarette breaks. Perfectly normal, but abstaining from smoking and improving your health is much better than getting the scoop of gossip they might be swapping!

How To Overcome These Urges

When you decide to quit smoking, I cannot stress enough that using some form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy is essential to make the what may seem like mammoth task of quitting just that little bit easier.

It’s been proven that using an E-Cigarette is the most effective method to quit smoking, and I believe this to be true also. Using an E-Cigarette can replicate the feeling of smoking a cigarette just without having to actually smoke one which is ideal, as this can trick your brain by giving the psychosomatic effects you get from smoking cigarettes. I’ve got a few tips and tricks to what you can do to overcome these situations I’ve listed above and continue to use your E-Cigarette rather than an actual cigarette.

Use Nicotine Salt E-Liquid – I’d always recommend using Nicotine Salts as your E-Liquid of choice as these can give a much more “instant” hit of Nicotine compared to Freebase Nicotine. Nicotine Salts have been proven to have a faster absorption rate, of around 8 seconds, which is very close to what the absorption rate is from smoking a cigarette. If you’re feeling stressed or anxious and need that Nicotine hit, a couple of puffs on your Nic Salts will curb those cravings to get a Cigarette from somewhere.

Willpower and Determination – The most essential tools to quit, and trust me, you’ll need plenty of it! If you really want to quit and keep it that way, keep your willpower levels high as possible to not give in to temptation.

Ensure You Have Enough E-Liquid – This is crucial if you’re planning on heading out for a period of time, make sure you take enough e-liquid with you to last you through the time you’re out. There’s nothing worse than running out of E-Liquid and then you’re stranded with no option to get your nicotine fix, and might then decide to have a sneaky cigarette to satisfy those urges. Always be prepared! And make sure your vaping device is fully charged as well, as you’re not getting anything out of a dead vape! (Trust me, I’ve tried)