A to Z of Stopping Smoking

Each time you smoke a cigarette, nicotine tells your brain to pay attention to where you are and what you are doing. This means that your urges to smoke are very much tied to your daily routine. So for example, if you usually smoke outside a train station, whenever you find yourself in that location, you will probably feel strong urges to smoke. Changing your routine can help you stop smoking by taking away the cues that make you crave a cigarette.

Go through your daily or weekly routine and write down the times when you would usually smoke. Then see if you can change an aspect of this routine - at least for the first four weeks after you've given up. For instance, if you usually smoke at a bus stop on your way to work, try walking down to the next bus stop. Or if that isn't possible, try standing in a different place than you normally do. It sounds quite simple, but simply changing the things you are looking at can help break the association your brain makes between a location and smoking a cigarette.