What Are Smoking Triggers and How to Overcome Them?

After a wonderful meal washed down with a lovely glass of red, you’re faced with an all-too-familiar craving: the post-meal cigarette. It’s a deeply ingrained ritual that is hard to ignore.

The urge often lingers in the back of your mind, but you’ve always managed to dismiss it before. Until now, that is – because the meal always gets you. The craving is more relentless this time, and suddenly, it is all you can think about. 

The Torture of Smoking Triggers

Usually, something quite dramatic occurs when a trigger is pulled, both figuratively and literally speaking. In the context of quitting smoking, a trigger is simply a specific, repeat event that tempts you to smoke, and a post-meal cigarette is arguably the most common and insufferable trigger that affects most ex-smokers. 

These triggers are an incredible challenge for anyone trying to quit smoking, often ‘sparking’ thoughts (cheap pun intended) that may lead to actually buying a pack of cigarettes and, inevitably, smoking again. To be aware of these triggers in daily life is to be armed with coping mechanisms – and having mental strategies to handle or avoid them is incredibly important for successfully quitting smoking.

Through this blog post, we shall take a look at the main smoking triggers and offer a few practical tips on how to cope with them.

Emotional Smoking Triggers 

The connection between mental health issues and smoking is clear, with various studies suggesting people experiencing mental health challenges tend to smoke more frequently. The reasons are obvious, as we are all too aware of the temporary mood-enhancing effects of nicotine. Poor mental health and smoking go hand in hand together.

It works both ways, however. Joyful moments might inspire one to light up a cigarette as a form of celebration. By the same token, nicotine’s influence on the brain can provide a temporary respite from stress, anxiety, and depression. This duality of smoking – in both augmenting positive emotions and mitigating negative ones – demonstrates the awful complexity of emotional triggers in smoking behaviour.

Social Smoking Triggers

Social triggers for smoking are those angst-ridden situations where the presence of other smokers can spark a serious craving for nicotine. For someone trying to quit, being in the company of friends who smoke can be excruciating. The mere aroma of cigarette smoke in the air, even at a distance, can be enough to yank a former smoker back into the pitiful clutches of addiction. 

Pubs, and alcohol in general, are the worst entities for ex-smokers. The smoking ban helped way back in 2007, but smoking is a common sight in beer gardens and entrances and absolutely will act as a social trigger. The temptation is made infinitely worse by the alcohol, with the notion of “just one cigarette won’t hurt” a common booze-fueled precursor to resuming the habit. 

Pattern Smoking Triggers

Pattern triggers are those normal activities previously associated with smoking. If you used to smoke while driving, for example, it becomes a pattern trigger. Walking the dog, after eating a meal, or even after a shower are further examples. The pattern triggers are endless, as is the angst you will feel, fighting them off. These are the times when reaching for a cigarette feels almost automatic and is challenging due to their deep-rooted nature in daily routines.

Withdrawal Smoking Triggers

Common symptoms associated with withdrawal – the usual intense cravings, restlessness, concentration difficulties, disrupted sleep, and feelings of irritation – are huge triggers for smoking. Withdrawal from nicotine is tough and far more challenging than most people expect. As with any addiction, the suffering can stop immediately by resuming the thing you were addicted to. In this case, nicotine.

How to Cope With Smoking Triggers

So, how to avoid triggers for smoking? The first step is to face the triggers head-on by identifying them. Make a note of them, and you will be better prepared to deal with smoking triggers when they materialise.

Most triggers are universally shared by smokers. However, you may have some quirky, unique smoking triggers of your own. Identify them, embrace them, and the suffering will be reduced when the trigger ensues. 

Categorise Your Triggers

Having identified a range of triggers for smoking, including social, pattern, emotional, and withdrawal, it’s now time to box them off into categories and devise cunning strategies for each one.

For social and pattern triggers, evaluate these two categories and plan how you will handle each one. Avoiding the pub for a little while, maybe, or chewing gum while driving. 

Addressing pattern triggers may involve changes in your daily activities or modifications in your food and drink habits. Instead of a lovely glass of Merlot with your evening meal, take a soft drink instead, thereby mitigating the terrible booze-fueled “just one won’t hurt” mindset invasions. Brushing your teeth after meals is also a surprisingly effective method to deter you from smoking post-grub.

Practising mindfulness, speaking with a friend, or even engaging in a hobby can be effective alternatives to smoking when dealing with withdrawal and emotional triggers. Maybe think about joining the gym or going for a run (or walk) whenever the urge takes you. The idea is to replace the habit of reaching for a cigarette with more beneficial actions.

The NEAFS Solution

Nicotine replacement therapy can be highly effective for dealing with smoking triggers.

To ease the transition away from smoking while maintaining your nicotine intake, one option is to consider NEAFS, our popular plant based alternative. Used with the TEO device, NEAFS sticks provide the familiar sensation of smoking without harmful smoke, ash, or tar. 

With our advanced tobacco-free technology, NEAFS provides a highly satisfying smoking experience without all of the harmful consequences of traditional smoking. Choose from a lovely variety of flavours, and enjoy the trigger-busting convenience of NEAFS with our TEO device.

Make the switch to NEAFS with our incredible starter bundles, and manage your triggers effortlessly!