Smoking Relapse

Many common activities or events can trigger the urge to smoke. Here are some common triggers and what you might do to avoid smoking:

• Finishing a meal.
  • Get up from the table immediately and do something else.
• Drinking coffee.
  • Change the way you have coffee: the place, the coffee mug, everything you did when you were smoking.
• Talking on the telephone.
  • Use a phone in a different room when you're at home, or hold the phone with your "smoking" hand.
• Between tasks.
  • When you have time between projects, try taking a short walk or reading a section of the newspaper.
• After an argument, disappointment, or negative event.
  • Let off steam by walking briskly around the building.
• In the car.
  • Remove the ashtray from your car, or change your driving patterns.
• Other people who smoke.
  • Avoid the smoking areas at your workplace.
• Parties.
  • Don't go with your friends when they go outside for a cigarette.

If you slip or smoke a little, don't give up. Talk to someone who has quit smoking, or to a counselor, to get ideas on what to do. A slip can quickly turn into regular smoking, so it's important to do something different soon.