10 things to do instead of smoking
Are you looking for alternative activities to smoking in order to help you quit or cut down? If so, look no further. Take a look at these top tips and decide for yourself if you need them or not.
Is it dumb to look for alternative activities to smoking?
Many so-called experts claim that it isn’t and that, in fact, it’s a smart and proactive approach to quitting.
They claim that finding alternative behaviours helps break the habit loop associated with smoking and reduces the triggers that may lead to relapse.
They believe that by engaging in activities that occupy your mind and body, you can distract yourself from cravings, manage stress, and reinforce healthier habits.
This approach, they assert, not only supports your journey to quit smoking but also promotes overall well-being and reduces the likelihood of returning to smoking in the future.
That would all be fabulous if smoking was a habit
The one simple fact that they overlook is that smoking isn’t a habit; it’s drug addiction.
Equally importantly, the triggers, cravings, and stress their alternative activities are designed to avoid are easy to avoid without having to do anything at all.
The idea of the alternative activities is to quit you from thinking about cigarettes or smoking.
But the more you try not to think about something – the more you think about it.
If I urge you not to think about a pink elephant now, you’re almost certainly visualising exactly that: a pink elephant.
Rather than look for alternative activities to smoking – why not look for a method of quitting that negates the need for any such silliness?
So, here are those top tips for activities to do instead of smoking, along with our advice alongside them in italics:
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Exercise
Engage in physical activities such as walking, jogging, yoga, or cycling to reduce stress and improve mood.
This is a great idea, regardless of whether you’re quitting smoking or not. Do this whether you’re set to carry on smoking or quit – it’ll make you feel happier, and the world will seem like a better place.
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Practice deep breathing
Try deep breathing exercises or meditation to relax and alleviate cravings.
Well, as long as you get your head right the cravings are easy to deal with.
But whether you’re quitting smoking or not, deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness are wonderful activities and well worth incorporating into your daily routine.
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Chew gum or snack on healthy foods:
Use sugar-free gum or snack on fruits and vegetables to keep your mouth busy and satisfy oral cravings.
Now this is a wrong turn.
Firstly, no-one smokes to satisfy “oral cravings” and a sure way of feeling deprived of cigarettes and smoking is to try to replace them by eating or chewing something instead.
This is called substitution and helps to create and perpetuate terrible feelings of loss.
Every time you do it, you think, “I can’t smoke – I’ll have this instead”. It makes you think more about smoking not less.
Generally speaking , it’s probably best to avoid gum whether you plan to quit smoking or not – but enjoying healthy foods is always a good idea – just as long as it isn’t in an attempt to take your mind off wanting to smoke.
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Stay hydrated
Drink water or herbal teas throughout the day to help flush out toxins and curb cravings.
Again, it’s good to keep hydrated whether you plan to quit smoking or not – so why not adopt the notion of doing so?
As with gum and heathy snacks, using drinks to substitute cigarettes just leads to misery. The toxins find their way out of your body whether you make an extra effort to hydrate or not.
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Stay busy with hobbies
Stay busy with hobbies: Take up hobbies like painting, gardening, reading, or crafting to distract yourself and keep your hands and mind occupied.
As you’ve already guessed, our view is that whether you plan to quit smoking or not – it’s a great idea to enjoy hobbies such as those described.
But with a view to taking your mind off cigarettes or smoking – it’s not a great idea.
Rather than attempt to take your mind off cigarettes or smoking – wouldn’t it be great to be able to think about them without having any wish to smoke?
It’s far more important to get your thinking right about cigarettes and how to quit smoking than it is to avoid thinking about them or trying to keep your hands occupied.
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Socialize with non-smokers
Spend time with friends and family who do not smoke to reduce triggers and reinforce healthy behaviours.
Well that would be an interesting idea if your roommate or partner are a smoker. What are you supposed to do – move out?
And what if your best friends are smokers?
The great news is that as long as you’re happy not smoking, you definitely don’t have to avoid smokers.
From the outset, you can get out and enjoy life as you did when you smoked. Nothing will quit you if you change the way you think about cigarettes and smoking.
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Practice relaxation techniques
Use techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, or mindfulness to manage stress and reduce the urge to smoke.
These are great relaxation techniques but utterly unnecessary as part of a quit attempt and likely to be counter-productive by focusing on urges to smoke when no such urge need exist.
By all means give them a go whether you aim to quit or not – but as long as you’re happy to be free from smoking there really isn’t any need to take them on unless you wish to.
Yes, they’ll help you deal with the stresses and strains of life, so go for it whether you plan to quit or not.
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Join support group
Attend smoking cessation support groups or online forums to connect with others who are quitting and share experiences and strategies.
Why would you want to spend your time as a happy non-smoker in support groups or online forums?
It can be great to find out about different ways of quitting smoking, but once you’re free – wouldn’t it be lovely just to put it all behind you and get on with enjoying your smoke-free life? Do just that!
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Keep a quit smoking journal
Write down your thoughts, feelings, and cravings to track progress and identify triggers.
This sounds dull and is destined to fail.
It assumes that you are going to experience difficulties and cravings and somehow need to track your progress.
Progress is stubbing out your final cigarette and waving goodbye to something that was trying to destroy you.
After that, you’re done with smoking. Use a method that gets you in that frame of mind, and you will not fail.
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Reward yourself
Set milestones and reward yourself with non-smoking-related treats or activities to celebrate achievements and stay motivated.
Yes, it’s a nice idea, but we’ve already explained how substitution creates issues.
You should reward yourself every day whether you’re a smoker or a non-smoker, but when you get free from cigarettes, every moment of every day is like a treat – free from the fog, the nightmare of addiction.
As smokers, we often think of cigarettes as treats or rewards – we forget that we don’t choose to smoke them as a reward – we have no choice over whether we smoke them or not – we’re obliged to.
In other words, we’re incapable of doing anything without a cigarette before, during, or after. Some reward!
It’s understandable that you feel you need something to take the place of smoking – but you really don’t.
Being free is a wonderful thing and requires some small but important changes in the way you think about cigarettes and smoking.
You can achieve the correct frame of mind in a matter of hours, with Allen Carr’s Easyway.
