Other Smokers as a Trigger for Smoking
Being around other people who smoke – whether at home, at work, or while out socialising – can trigger cravings if you’re trying to quit smoking.
You may feel a strong temptation to smoke while watching someone else smoking, smelling the smoke from their cigarette, or just seeing a cigarette packet. Even knowing people are smoking nearby can trigger a craving.
But the good news is, you can become a non-smoker even if you live or socialise with other smokers!
Tips & Tricks for Dealing with Other Smokers
Just check out some of these strategies that may help you beat cravings when you’re around other smokers:
- Avoid smokers (if you can!). If possible, the best approach is to avoid other smokers at the start of your quit attempt, so you won’t be tempted by their smoking. If your partner smokes, see if they’d be willing to smoke away from you for a while, such as outside.
Imagine you were trying to cut out something else, like coffee. You’d probably try and stay away from people drinking coffee and keep it out of the house to avoid temptation, at least for a little while. It’s the same with other smokers when you’re trying to quit smoking.
- Ask your smoker friends to help. If you’re going to be socialising with friends who smoke, ask them to agree to not offer you a cigarette, even if you ask them for one.
- Before an event, ask your non-smoker friends to help. Ask friends who don’t smoke to keep an eye out for you when you’re at social events, to ensure you don’t give in to cravings.
- Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). NRT products can help to reduce tobacco cravings – talk to your GP or pharmacist about the best option for you.
- Try a willpower strategy. Willpower can be a fantastic tool for beating cravings – click here to view some handy strategies that may help.
Keep in mind that these tricks won’t work for everyone and aren’t guaranteed to beating cravings – but hopefully they’ll give you some ideas for how to manage smoking triggers while you’re trying to quit.