Cigarette Substitutes
A couple of years ago I nearly quit smoking. At that time, I found it helpful to have things I could hold in my hand or stick in my mouth in place of a cigarette. I’ve collected a list of options:
Substitutes that Feel More Like Cigarettes
- A plastic straw cut to the length of a cigarette
- Cinnamon sticks (the real deal, available in the spices section of most grocery stores)
- Carrot or celery sticks
- Sugar-free hard candy sticks
- Licorice sticks
Other Oral Options
- Crunchy fruit or vegetables
- Sugarless gum, mints or candy
- Your little finger
Distractions
- When your smoking triggers are pulled, distraction can be the best solution.
- Watch a movie or television
- Go for a walk
- Do jumping jacks or jump a rope until you can no longer breathe, much less smoke (or any form of exercise)
- Soak in a hot bath
- Read a book or magazine
- Plan a vacation
- Get on the computer and research a pet topic or email friends
- Do a jigsaw puzzle or dimensional puzzle
- Do a crossword puzzle or sudoku
- Pick up a book of brainteaser exercises
Have any ideas to share? Please help us out and send them in.
May 15th, 2006 14:41
My favorite cigarette substitute was one of the small sized glue sticks. You can hold it, tap it, bend it, etc., but don’t light it!
May 19th, 2006 13:33
Now that’s an interesting idea, Leslie. The glue stick would also come in handy for gluing shut cigarette packages, matchbook covers and lighter mechanisms.