Stop smoking when drinking

How can you stop smoking when drinking?

It’s best to give up alcohol completely for a few weeks when you first stop smoking. When you’re drinking alcohol, you may find that you get the urge to smoke. How can you stop smoking when drinking?

Here’s some advice on how to avoid the temptation of picking up that cigarette when alcohol is involved.

Get your friends to help

Get your non-smoking friends to keep you away from any smoking areas when you are out together. It can be tricky to cub the craving when a friend is lighting up. Ask your smoking friends not to offer you any cigarettes, no matter how much you might nag them to! Read our guide on how to help someone stop smoking and share it with your support network.

Switch your drinks

You might find that certain alcoholic drinks will make you crave a cigarette more than others. Now that you are not smoking your taste buds will be working better – now could be just the time to try a different tipple to your ‘usual’. You could alternate drinks with water too, to help you keep a clearer head and avoid giving in to old habits.

Avoid going outside with others

If you are out with friends socialising and drinking, don’t let yourself be tempted in to sitting outside or going to the smoking area. Instead stay inside and enjoy the company, make new friends and soak up the smoke free atmosphere.

Don’t binge drink

The more you drink the less chance you’ll have of maintaining your willpower. Binge drinking is not only bad for your health, it also lessens your resolve. Saying no to a cigarette is easier when you have a clear head. Find out more about keeping your quit smoking motivation high.

Distract yourself or go home

If you find yourself thinking about wanting to smoke, try and distract yourself. Move venue, or seats and talk to someone new. Play a game or get up and dance (if it’s that kind of place). If it’s just too much and the temptation is too strong, call it a night and go home. You’ve done well to get this far!

Use a quit smoking tool

You might be tempted to ‘go cold turkey’ when trying to stop smoking. But what happens when you’ve had a drink and your defences are down? Just one cigarette won’t hurt will it? You may find that your resolve crumbles, and you convince yourself that it’s okay, it’s just this once. Something that will leave you feeling terrible the next day.

The good news is, you can keep nicotine cravings at bay and increase your chances of success by using a stop smoking aid. These are especially useful when you are drinking.

Which quit smoking tools work best when you are drinking? 

If you are going to have a drink, using one or more stop smoking tools can help you stick to your plan and fight back against nicotine cravings.

Using a quick release form of over the counter nicotine product like a spray, gum, lozenge or inhalator alongside a slow release patch can help you resist the sudden urge to smoke when it strikes.

An e-cigarette or vape, not only helps to reduce the nicotine withdrawal you will experience when you stop smoking, it also gives you something to do with your hands when you find yourself wanting to reach for a cigarette.

Find out more about the best vape to quit smoking and how to use nicotine replacement products.