Putting a Stop to Smoky Thinking
It can be easy to lose sight of the benefits of quitting when a strong craving for a cigarette hits. You might start to lose your focus on staying smokefree. There is no good reason to smoke. You know this, so if you are giving yourself a reason to smoke, you are probably experiencing an attack of smoky thinking.
Fight your smoky thinking with a clear thinking response using this list.
| Smoky Thinking | Clear Thinking |
|---|---|
| I just need one cigarette to take the edge off these cravings. | Cravings become weaker and less frequent with every day that I don't smoke. Even just one puff will feed the cravings and make them stronger. |
| It's been a long day. I deserve a cigarette. | I deserve a reward after a long day, but there are better rewards than a cigarette. A favorite meal, a funny movie, or a hot shower will help me relax without ruining my quit attempt. |
| The urge to smoke is just too strong. I can't stand it. | Even the strongest cravings last less than 3 minutes. The urge will go away whether I smoke or not, and smoking now will just make it even harder for me to quit later. I can find something else to do—anything—until the craving goes away. |
| I blew it. I smoked a cigarette. I might as well go ahead and finish the pack. | I am still learning how to be a nonsmoker. It's normal to make some mistakes, but I don't have to smoke that next cigarette. I can learn from this mistake and keep going. |
| I can't deal with never being able to have another cigarette for the rest of my life. | I only have to deal with today. Quitting happens one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time! The future will take care of itself. |
| I am too grumpy without my cigarettes. I am doing my friends and family a favor by smoking. | My friends and family love me and understand that quitting smoking now is the best gift I can give them. Grumpy or not, I am not doing them any favors by continuing to smoke. |
| I am doing really well. Just one cigarette won't hurt. | I have never smoked just one before. One cigarette always leads to another. I don't want to undo all my progress by smoking a cigarette now. |
| It's too hard to quit smoking. I can't do this. | Quitting and staying away from cigarettes is hard, but it's not impossible. About 40 million Americans have quit smoking. If other people can do it, so can I. It is too important to give up on. |
SmokefreeWomen.gov. (n.d.). Putting a stop to smoky thinking. Retrieved October 27, 2017, from https://women.smokefree.gov/