Getting through a craving

A craving feels like it will last forever, but it usually fades within a few minutes. The goal is to get through those minutes.

• Delay. Tell yourself “not for the next 10 minutes” and look at the clock.
• Breathe slowly. Breathe in for four counts, out for six, five times.
• Drink water or chew something: gum, a carrot, a toothpick.
• Move. Walk around the block, climb stairs, do ten squats.
• Change places. Leave the room or the spot where you used to smoke.
• Call or text someone who knows you are quitting.

Cravings come less often and get weaker as the weeks go by. A slip is not the end: work out what triggered it and carry on.