Managing smoking triggers after lockdown

Published at 16 August, 2021.

With lockdown having been lifted and more people socialising with friends and family, there are more triggers for you to relapse.

Whether you are walking down the street and can smell the smoke from a beer garden, or if your friends are smoking, each day there will be a temptation to relapse and smoke again.

To help prevent you from relapsing and smoking again, here are a few ways to avoid your triggers:

Wear your face mask, by wearing this you will breathe in less smoke and will have to remove your mask to smoke putting a barrier between you and the cigarette.
Keep gum or NRT on you, if you keep this on you then when you are tempted will mean you have something to keep your hands busy and prevent you from reaching for a cigarette
Have a plan in mind for if someone asks if you want a cigarette, think about how you will say no.
Tell your friends and family how far you’ve come in your stop smoking journey, they may end up less likely to offer you a cigarette.
Instead of going out, why not host the night with friends at your house? At least then you will be able to manage the situation if you have a craving.

If you are struggling with staying quit, contact our advisors who will be more than happy to help you on your smokefree journey.

There are many ways we can help:

Quit online - https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/pages/quit-online

Our online quit tool will allow you to create your own personal profile and will support you on a daily basis through your quit journey.

Telephone support - our advisors are on hand to answer any questions or provide additional support as you need it. You can call 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 660 1166.

Visit our frequently asked questions section to find out more: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/frequently-asked-questions