If there is one thing you can predict about quitting smoking it is that you're going to have cravings to smoke. Here's how to deal with them

Cravings are what smokers fear most about quitting (after that comes the fear of weight gain). They come in a variety of forms and situations. They are most often triggered by excessive stress, a pleasurable smoking memory or situation, nicotine withdrawal or an opportunity to smoke. Cravings can be mild or severe. They can last a few minutes, a few hours or a few days. Usually they are short-lived.

However, if you are in a 'relapse cycle', you may experience more cravings or stronger cravings within the period of a few days than is usual. In time, you will be able to identify and predict potential craving triggers and situations. As with any type of skill, the more times you are successful at managing your cravings, the easier it will become. Practice helps. Time heals.

Relapse cycles are a common occurrence in the recovery of all types of drug dependence. Relapse (returning to your smoking habit) often occurs because you did not prepare adequately for some of the difficulties of coping with a smoke-free lifestyle. Quitting smoking will not eliminate the other problems in your life. They will still be there for you to handle. They may also seem more stressful because you no longer are using smoking for mood and stress management. You must learn how to manage your moods and stress without the assistance of nicotine and smoking. This is no small task.

Build your strategies
Think of all the reasons that you might smoke a cigarette. Cigarettes are really like magic wands because that little stick of tobacco can change so many things inside you. You can use them to reward yourself for the completion of a task, extend the pleasure of a meal, occupy your hands, cope with boredom, hold off the unpleasant symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, manage stress and elevate mood. What a deal. Unfortunately there is no other single magic wand to take the place of the cigarette. You have to find a variety of strategies and tools to take the place of each of the reasons that you smoked. That means that you must build a repertoire of craving management strategies to cope with the variety of situations that might trigger a craving. If you have 6 to 12 strategies and tools, you will be well armed to cope with your cravings to smoke.

As soon as you feel a craving begin, get proactive and put one of your craving management strategies into work. Your craving is a sign that something is happening in your life that you used to associate with cigarette use. Identify what is happening and find other outlets to manage the stress, give yourself a reward or cope with the boredom. Quitting smoking is really much more than simply stopping your cigarette use. Quitting is a process of replacing smoking by expanding your enjoyment of life, your sense of self-control, your health and well-being, your skills and abilities and your sense of purpose and meaning. It's a BIG lifestyle change.

Our Stop Smoking Challenge is there to help you make these changes. With the wonderful support of our message boards and our information about quitting, you won't feel alone in this effort. We'll be there to help.