Is It OK to Smoke a Cigarette After Quitting?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSlip vs. RelapseTips for Quitting SmokingWatch Your ThinkingDistracting YourselfCreate a List of RewardsOnline Support

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Slip vs. Relapse

Tips for Quitting Smoking

Watch Your Thinking

Distracting Yourself

Create a List of Rewards

Online Support

As of Dec. 20, 2019, thenew legal age limit is 21 years oldforpurchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco productsin the U.S.

Once you stop smoking, you might wonder if it is possible to have an occasional cigarette after quitting. If you decide to go ahead and smoke just one, the risk of relapse is strong. Chances are that you’ll be back to smoking as much as you did before you quit.

Spending time with people who regularly smoke can also increase the risk of relapse. Research shows that ex-smokers have an increased likelihood of asmoking relapsewhen there’s greater exposure to other smokers in social situations, at work, or home.Unfortunately, these situations are sometimes difficult to avoid and can lead to intense nicotine cravings.

Don’t tell yourself that you can control nicotine once you get a taste. It just doesn’t work that way for people with nicotine addiction. The only way to keep the beast at bay is to keepnicotineout of your system completely.

When quitting smoking, it is important to recognize the difference between a slip and a relapse. A slip involves having a cigarette or two before you quit completely. A relapse involves a full return to smoking regularly.

Remember that slips and even full relapses are very common. The CDC suggests that most people make eight to 11 attempts before they quit successfully. One study found that the number of attempts ranged from six to as many as 30 or more.

Slips are common and expected, but they don’t need to derail progress. If you slipped and smoked a cigarette, recognize that you can easily relapse, but you haven’t yet gone that far…yet.

Look for tactics to make it harder to take another smoke. Reach out to your social support. Don’t let feelings of failure snowball until you give up on quitting.

If you absolutely cannot shake thoughts of smoking and are worried you’re about to cave in and smoke, stop everything. Sit down with a pen and paper and honestly answer the questions below. Or, answer these questions in advance and carry them with you to review when needed.

Taking an honest look at these questions and their answers will help you find balance when the urge to smoke seems so important that you’re ready to throw everything you’ve worked for away and give in.

Keep your reasons for quitting at the forefront of your memory. They are no less true today than when you quit, but they can feel less critical if you’re not careful.

Natural Remedies to Help You Quit Smoking

When many people quit smoking they go through a fair amount ofaddictive thought patterns—the internal battle betweennicotine addictionand themselves. Early in smoking cessation that dialog can seem relentless. The voice in your head trying to convince you to smoke is persistent, annoying, andexhausting.

This phase ofnicotine withdrawalis temporary.The less attention you give to unhealthy thoughts of smoking, the better. But how can you do that?

It’s important to realize ahead of time that the mental contortions you will experience after you stub outyour last cigaretteare a normal part of the recovery process.

Don’t panic and think you’re failing because you want a cigarette. Think of that inner chatter as a sign of healing, because that is exactly what it is.

Time will lessen the power of thoughts that trigger cravings to smoke. In the meantime, use distraction as a tool to jolt yourself out of a bad mindset as smoking thoughts come up.

Create a listof activities you can do at a moment’s notice so that you’re not left struggling when the urge to smoke hits. Be proactive and know that with each urge you overcome, your brain is registering new ways of coping.

In time, it will be easier to redirect yourself, and with more time, thoughts of smoking will lose their power entirely.

Some days will be worse than others. Such is smoking cessation, and such is life. On days when simple distractions don’t work and you’re feeling agitated and unhappy, pull out a different list—one that details rewards tailored to your interests.

Many people tend to neglect their comfort in favor of the needs of others who are important to them. You put them first on the list, and while this is admirable, you must take care of your own needs, especially while quitting tobacco.

Put a list together of ways to pamper yourself. Include items you know will make you feel good and rejuvenate your body and mind after a hard day. Ideas could include:

Make your treats self-indulgent and guilt-free. You’re working hard to recover from a tough addiction, and a little positive reinforcement goes a long way.

If all else fails and cigarette cravings won’t give you any peace, put your mind on ignore and go to bed earlier than usual. Tomorrow will be a better day.

You can call or text the National Cancer Institute’squitlineor sign up for theirlive chat, including a real-time link to a counselor. Even if you are not a person who likes to participate in forums or group support, stop in and take a browse through a smoking cessation support forum.

Best Non-Medical Ways to Quit Smoking

A Word From Verywell

The truth of the matter is that smoking offers you nothing of value, and that empty feeling you have that smoking used to fill will go away in time…as long as you don’t smoke. Recovery from nicotine addiction can feel like it will never end, but that’s just not true.

It does take time to reprogram old associations, but it doesn’t take forever. Be patient with yourself and allow the healing process to take place, regardless of how long it takes. Nurture and protect your quit program because it’s the path to the healthier and happier life that you deserve.

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.Partos TR, Borland R, Yong HH, Thrasher J, Hammond D.Cigarette packet warning labels can prevent relapse: findings from the International Tobacco Control 4-Country policy evaluation cohort study.Tob Control. 2013;22(e1):e43-50. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050254Smokefree.gov.Slips and relapses.Chaiton M, Diemert L, Cohen JE, et al.Estimating the number of quit attempts it takes to quit smoking successfully in a longitudinal cohort of smokers.BMJ Open. 2016;6(6):e011045. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011045DiFranza JR.Can tobacco dependence provide insights into other drug addictions?BMC Psychiatry.2016;16(1):365. doi:10.1186/s12888-016-1074-4Jackson KJ, Muldoon PP, De Biasi M, Damaj MI.New mechanisms and perspectives in nicotine withdrawal.Neuropharmacology. 2015;96(Pt B):223-34. doi10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.009Moskowitz JM, Mcdonnell DD, Kazinets G, Lee HJ.Online smoking cessation program for Korean Americans: Randomized trial to test effects of incentives for program completion and interim surveys.Prev Med. 2016;86:70-6. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.019

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.Partos TR, Borland R, Yong HH, Thrasher J, Hammond D.Cigarette packet warning labels can prevent relapse: findings from the International Tobacco Control 4-Country policy evaluation cohort study.Tob Control. 2013;22(e1):e43-50. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050254Smokefree.gov.Slips and relapses.Chaiton M, Diemert L, Cohen JE, et al.Estimating the number of quit attempts it takes to quit smoking successfully in a longitudinal cohort of smokers.BMJ Open. 2016;6(6):e011045. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011045DiFranza JR.Can tobacco dependence provide insights into other drug addictions?BMC Psychiatry.2016;16(1):365. doi:10.1186/s12888-016-1074-4Jackson KJ, Muldoon PP, De Biasi M, Damaj MI.New mechanisms and perspectives in nicotine withdrawal.Neuropharmacology. 2015;96(Pt B):223-34. doi10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.009Moskowitz JM, Mcdonnell DD, Kazinets G, Lee HJ.Online smoking cessation program for Korean Americans: Randomized trial to test effects of incentives for program completion and interim surveys.Prev Med. 2016;86:70-6. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.019

Partos TR, Borland R, Yong HH, Thrasher J, Hammond D.Cigarette packet warning labels can prevent relapse: findings from the International Tobacco Control 4-Country policy evaluation cohort study.Tob Control. 2013;22(e1):e43-50. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050254Smokefree.gov.Slips and relapses.Chaiton M, Diemert L, Cohen JE, et al.Estimating the number of quit attempts it takes to quit smoking successfully in a longitudinal cohort of smokers.BMJ Open. 2016;6(6):e011045. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011045DiFranza JR.Can tobacco dependence provide insights into other drug addictions?BMC Psychiatry.2016;16(1):365. doi:10.1186/s12888-016-1074-4Jackson KJ, Muldoon PP, De Biasi M, Damaj MI.New mechanisms and perspectives in nicotine withdrawal.Neuropharmacology. 2015;96(Pt B):223-34. doi10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.009Moskowitz JM, Mcdonnell DD, Kazinets G, Lee HJ.Online smoking cessation program for Korean Americans: Randomized trial to test effects of incentives for program completion and interim surveys.Prev Med. 2016;86:70-6. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.019

Smokefree.gov.Slips and relapses.

Chaiton M, Diemert L, Cohen JE, et al.Estimating the number of quit attempts it takes to quit smoking successfully in a longitudinal cohort of smokers.BMJ Open. 2016;6(6):e011045. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011045

DiFranza JR.Can tobacco dependence provide insights into other drug addictions?BMC Psychiatry.2016;16(1):365. doi:10.1186/s12888-016-1074-4

Jackson KJ, Muldoon PP, De Biasi M, Damaj MI.New mechanisms and perspectives in nicotine withdrawal.Neuropharmacology. 2015;96(Pt B):223-34. doi10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.009

Moskowitz JM, Mcdonnell DD, Kazinets G, Lee HJ.Online smoking cessation program for Korean Americans: Randomized trial to test effects of incentives for program completion and interim surveys.Prev Med. 2016;86:70-6. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.01.019

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?

A Word From Verywell#

A Word From Verywell