Putting a Stop to Smoky Thinking

It can be easy to lose sight of the benefits of quitting when a strong craving for a cigarette hits. When your body is asking for a cigarette, your mind may start to play tricks on you! Suddenly, it can be hard to think clearly—all of your good reasons for wanting to quit go up in smoke, and they are replaced by thoughts giving you permission to pick up that cigarette. There is no good reason to smoke. You know this. So if you are giving yourself a reason to smoke, you are probably experiencing an attack of smoky thinking.

Learning to recognize your smoky thinking is the key to beating it! Smoky thinking doesn’t have to ruin your quit attempt, as long as you are ready to fight back with clear thinking. Look at the list below. Have you ever had these thoughts? If so, you have been a victim of smoky thinking! But with practice, next time you can be ready with a clear thinking response.

Smoky thinking thoughts and clear thinking responses

Smoky Thinking	Clear Thinking
I just need one cigarette to take the edge off these cravings.	Cravings become weaker and less frequent with every day that I don’t smoke. Even just one puff will feed the cravings and make them stronger.
It’s been a long day. I deserve a cigarette.	I deserve a reward after a long day, but there are better rewards than a cigarette. A favorite meal, a funny movie, or a hot shower will help me relax without ruining my quit attempt.
The urge to smoke is just too strong. I can’t stand it.	Even the strongest cravings last less than 3 minutes. The urge will go away whether I smoke or not, and smoking now will just make it even harder for me to quit later. I can find something else to do—anything—until the craving goes away.
I blew it. I smoked a cigarette. I might as well go ahead and finish the pack.	I am still learning how to be a non-smoker. It’s normal to make some mistakes. But I don’t have to smoke that next cigarette. I can learn from this mistake and keep going.
I can’t deal with never being able to have another cigarette for the rest of my life.	I only have to deal with today. Quitting happens one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time! The future will take care of itself.
I am too grumpy without my cigarettes. I am doing my friends and family a favor by smoking.	My friends and family love me and understand that quitting smoking now is the best gift I can give them. Grumpy or not, I am not doing them any favors by continuing to smoke.
I am doing really well. Just one cigarette won’t hurt.	I have never smoked just one before. One cigarette always leads to another. I don’t want to undo all my progress by smoking a cigarette now.
It’s too hard to quit smoking. I can’t do this.	Quitting and staying away from cigarettes is hard, but it’s not impossible. About 40,000,000 Americans have quit smoking. If other people can do it, so can I. It is too important to give up on.
I’ve been smoking for so long; quitting won’t make a difference now.	No matter how long I’ve been smoking, my body will benefit from quitting. The healing process starts right away, and before long I will start to feel healthier and look better.
I know people who smoked their whole lives and never got sick.	It’s true that some people get lucky. But there is no way of knowing whether I will be one of the lucky ones, and I am not willing to risk my life. The only safe choice is to quit smoking now.
I have already cut down to a safe level.	There is no safe level of smoking. Smoking less is a good first step, but there are many more benefits when I don’t smoke at all. Plus, every cigarette that I smoke feeds the habit and makes it that much harder to quit.

Next: Staying Focused on Quitting