What To Expect

• Expect that your morning coffee will not taste the same without a cigarette.

Did You Know?

• For many smokers, lighting up is the first event of the day. Part of many people’s dependence on cigarettes evolves from a routine built mostly on making opportunities to smoke. The morning can set the tone for the rest of the day.

What To Do

• Plan a different wake-up routine.
• Take your attention off smoking right away.
• Be sure no cigarettes are available.
• Begin each day with deep breathing and one or more glasses of water.
• Make a list of early morning triggers, and avoid them.
• Begin each day with a preplanned activity that will keep you busy for an hour or more. It will keep your mind and body busy so that you don’t think about smoking.

Nicotine and Your Body and Mind

• After 6 to 8 hours of sleep, your nicotine level drops and your body develops a need for a quick boost of nicotine when you wake up.
• Your body has become dependent on nicotine. Your mind must be ready to overcome this physical need. Before you go to sleep, make a list of things you need to avoid in the morning that will make you want to smoke. Place this list where you used to place your cigarettes.

Related Notes

• Once you pinpoint high-risk situations that trigger the urge to smoke, you can start to handle such situations rationally. Waking up in the morning and starting your normal routine provides plenty of triggers to tempt you to smoke. Nicotine cravings may be reduced by using nicotine replacement products, which deliver small, steady doses of nicotine into the body. Nicotine replacement patches, gum, lozenges, nasal spray, and inhaler appear to be equally effective. Buproprion pills (which don’t contain nicotine) also help relieve withdrawal symptoms.

How To Get Help

• If you or someone you know wants help with giving up tobacco, please call the National Cancer Institute’s Smoking Quitline toll-free at 1–877–44U–QUIT (1–877–448–7848). The information specialists on the Quitline can provide suggestions and support to help smokers break the habit.
• The Federal Government’s Smokefree.gov Web site (http://www.smokefree.gov) allows you to choose the help that best fits your needs. You can get immediate assistance:
• View an online step-by-step cessation guide.
• Find state quitline telephone numbers.
• Instant message an expert through NCI’s LiveHelp service.
• Download, print, or order publications about quitting smoking.

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