The habit of smoking a cigarette when drinking alcohol is common—and difficult to break. Alcohol decreases the ability to resist theurge to smoke,so for many, drinking triggers smoking.

Despite the challenges, youcanquit successfully. This requires understanding why you smoke when you drink andreconditioning your responseto cigarettes.Experts advise strategies such as avoiding triggers, cutting back on overall alcohol intake, and planning.

Why Alcohol Triggers Cigarette Cravings

Alcohol reduces inhibitions, which increases the risk of asmoking relapse.Once you’ve had a couple of drinks, staying true to your goal of quitting cigarettes can become far more difficult.

Simply being around cigarettes can make restraint a challenge. Drinking alcohol is often a social thing, so you’re likely to be around others—and they might be smoking. You might encounter smokers (and smoke) as you walk past designated smoking areas.They might ask you to join them or offer you a cigarette. Planning your responses in such situations can be helpful.

Understanding Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine addictionhas two components: physical addiction and psychological dependence.

For many people, it is the psychological dependence of smoking that ties them most strongly to nicotine addiction. Those who link smoking only with drinking may have an advantage: They can concentrate on quitting in this one area alone rather than having to face triggers in many daily situations.

Avoid Triggers

It’s perfectly OK to avoid a situation if you feel it’lltriggera cigarette craving. During nicotine withdrawal, cravings can be intense. You don’t have to feel bad about putting yourself first.

Go Alcohol-Free First

Although your goal is to be able to enjoy a drink without smoking, going alcohol-free when you first quit smoking has its advantages.

Many bars have a list of alcohol-free drinks or “mocktails,” so you can still feel included in the night’s festivities.

If you start drinking alcohol again, avoidbinge drinking.The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends that daily drink consumption does not exceed four drinks for men and three drinks for women.

Going out? Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, so try practicing how you’ll behave at a bar beforehand.

Find New Activities

Find some new smoke-free activities and like-minded people who don’t smoke so that you’re not tempted.You can evenkeep a journalto track the benefits of spending time in new places and with new people. For example,your health improves when you quit smoking. You’re also not inhalingsecondhand smokeas you do when you stand near people who are smoking.

Making new associations when you quit smoking is important. When you have fun without smoking, you learn that you don’t need a cigarette to have a good time.

Make a Plan

Have an escape plan for those moments when you feel like you’re about to smoke a cigarette. Get up and head to the bathroom or step outside for some fresh air (avoiding the outdoor smoking area, if there is one). Reach out to a supportive friend orsupport quitline. If that doesn’t do the trick, you may want to consider calling it a night and going home earlier than usual.

How to Overcome Smoking Urges in Just 5 Minutes

Go to a Smoke-Free Bar

Most public meeting places are smoke-free, but of course, you may encounter a bar that allows people to smoke inside. If this is the case, suggest to your friends that you go somewhere else instead.

Or, maybe you suggest that you try somewhere else altogether. You are guaranteed that no one will be smoking inside a movie theater or a museum, for instance.You can find ways to spend quality time with friendswithout cigarettesand alcohol.

Find a Replacement

You might find yourself missing the feeling of having a cigarette in your hand, especially if you’re around other people who are smoking. There are different ways people swap out a cigarette for a healthier option.

Try holding on to a pencil, paper clip, or marble—anything small that you can fidget with to occupy your hand. If you miss having something in your mouth, you can try:

Practice Makes Perfect

You are teaching yourselfnew healthy habitseach time you successfully navigate the situations that trigger the urge to smoke. Practice will cement them in place.

Be patient and give yourself time to replace old associations with new ones that don’t include smoking.

Smoking even a few cigarettesis dangerous to your health. If you find that you’re struggling to quit smoking, be sure to reach out to a healthcare professional who can help you find methods of quitting such asnicotine replacement therapy (NRT), counseling, a support group, or a medication likeZyban(bupropion) orChantix(varenicline).

Research has found that alcohol and nicotine use are closely related.People who have a dependence on one substance commonly have a dependence on the other. If you are struggling with how much you drink, talk to your doctor.

There are resources available toassess your drinking leveland take action steps to reduce your drinking.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

The Takeaways

Remember: Many people take more than one attempt to quit smoking for good. If you smoke a cigarette when you’re out drinking, don’t let it stop you from continuing on your journey to stay smoke-free. With these tips in mind, you’ll be more prepared for next time to let the craving pass without smoking a cigarette.

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health.Alcohol & smoking.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Quitting smoking with complementary health approaches: What you need to know.Adams S.Psychopharmacology of tobacco and alcohol comorbidity: A review of current evidence.Curr Addict Rep. 2017;4(1):25-34. doi:10.1007/s40429-017-0129-zNational Institutes of Health.Know your triggers.American Cancer Society.Help for cravings and tough situations while you’re quitting tobacco.Sharma R, Lodhi S, Sahota P, Thakkar MM.Nicotine administration in the wake-promoting basal forebrain attenuates sleep-promoting effects of alcohol.J Neurochem. 2015;135(2):323-331. doi:10.1111/jnc.13219

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health.Alcohol & smoking.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Quitting smoking with complementary health approaches: What you need to know.Adams S.Psychopharmacology of tobacco and alcohol comorbidity: A review of current evidence.Curr Addict Rep. 2017;4(1):25-34. doi:10.1007/s40429-017-0129-zNational Institutes of Health.Know your triggers.American Cancer Society.Help for cravings and tough situations while you’re quitting tobacco.Sharma R, Lodhi S, Sahota P, Thakkar MM.Nicotine administration in the wake-promoting basal forebrain attenuates sleep-promoting effects of alcohol.J Neurochem. 2015;135(2):323-331. doi:10.1111/jnc.13219

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institutes of Health.Alcohol & smoking.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Quitting smoking with complementary health approaches: What you need to know.Adams S.Psychopharmacology of tobacco and alcohol comorbidity: A review of current evidence.Curr Addict Rep. 2017;4(1):25-34. doi:10.1007/s40429-017-0129-zNational Institutes of Health.Know your triggers.American Cancer Society.Help for cravings and tough situations while you’re quitting tobacco.Sharma R, Lodhi S, Sahota P, Thakkar MM.Nicotine administration in the wake-promoting basal forebrain attenuates sleep-promoting effects of alcohol.J Neurochem. 2015;135(2):323-331. doi:10.1111/jnc.13219

National Institutes of Health.Alcohol & smoking.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Quitting smoking with complementary health approaches: What you need to know.

Adams S.Psychopharmacology of tobacco and alcohol comorbidity: A review of current evidence.Curr Addict Rep. 2017;4(1):25-34. doi:10.1007/s40429-017-0129-z

National Institutes of Health.Know your triggers.

American Cancer Society.Help for cravings and tough situations while you’re quitting tobacco.

Sharma R, Lodhi S, Sahota P, Thakkar MM.Nicotine administration in the wake-promoting basal forebrain attenuates sleep-promoting effects of alcohol.J Neurochem. 2015;135(2):323-331. doi:10.1111/jnc.13219

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