5 ways to overcome cigarette cravings
Quitting is hard, but not impossible. Try these approaches to help reduce your cravings for a smoke.
Jan 18, 2026
Written byPatrick Sullivan
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Slide 1
You know how bad smoking is for you. It’s the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, responsible for more than 480,000 deaths every year. And that’s probably why you decided to quit.
But quitting isn’t as easy as just putting down your pack. A 2016 study published in BMJ Open suggests it may take 30 or more times trying to quit smoking to be successful.
Here's what you need to know about cravings—and how to reduce cravings to make the process of quitting easier to handle.
Sources (3)
- American Lung Association. Tobacco Facts. Page last updated: June 7, 2024.
- Jeffries ER, Zvolensky MJ, Buckner JD. The Acute Impact of Hatha Yoga on Craving Among Smokers Attempting to Reduce or Quit. Nicotine Tob Res. 2020;22(3):446-451.
- Kim H, Kim J, Woo M, Kim T. Changes in inhibitory control, craving and affect after yoga vs. aerobic exercise among smokers with nicotine dependence. Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:940415. Published 2022 Jul 15.