Healthy habits to replace the 'Smoke Break'

Quitting smoking is one of the most significant steps a person can take for their long-term health but the challenge is often more than a physical one. For many people, the smoke break was a ritual, a moment to step away, connect with colleagues or simply pause. When those moments disappear, it’s common to feel unsettled or deprived, even when the decision to quit is firm.

Understanding what the smoke break was providing and finding ways to meet those same needs differently, can make a meaningful difference to long-term quit success^1.

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Understanding what the smoke break was really giving you

Before you can replace the smokebreak, it helps to understand what it was providing. Research suggests that habits are tied to specific cues such as certain times of day, environments or emotional states. These cues trigger behaviour automaticcaly, which is why quitting isn’t simply a matter of willpower.²

So ask yourself, what did your smoke break give you?

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Try controlled breathing

The physical act of smoking involves a slow, rhythmic breathing pattern which is why some may find smoking to be calming.

A study found that controlled deep breathing significantly reduced smoking-related cravings and withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, compared to sitting quietly³. More recent research, including a 2020 randomised controlled trial, found that structured breathing exercises led to meaningful improvements in cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms and quality of life⁴.

A simple technique to try:

•        Inhale slowly through yournose for 4 counts

•        Hold gently for 2 counts

•        Exhale through pursed lipsfor 6–8 counts

•        Repeat 5–10 times

Overtime, this kind of practice can help the nervous system associate a breathing ritual with calm, rather than with smoking.

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Take a short walk

The physical aspect of the smoke break, stepping outside and away from your environmentis something many people miss of the habit itself. A short walk preserves those elements while also supporting health in other ways.

A 2017 meta-analysis found that aerobic exercise was particularly effective atreducing cravings to smoke, with 17 out of 18 studies showing significant reductions in craving severity⁵. Even a brief 5–10-minute walk may have an acute effect on the urge to smoke.

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Keep your hands and mouth busy

The oral and tactile elements ofsmoking can be a challenge and may be among the hardest habit to break. This is sometimes called the 'hand-to-mouth' habit loop.

Some helpful strategies:

•        Keep a water bottle on handand sip regularly

•        Chew sugar-free gum, carrot sticks or sunflower seeds during usual break times

•        Use a pen, fidget ring or stress ball for the tactile element

•        Drinking herbal tea, which can also replicate the ‘something to hold’ aspect of the ritual

These are simple strategies and they work best when they're combined with other approaches. They're not a magic fix, but for many people they reduce the physical restlessness that makes quitting particularly hard.

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Practise a short mindfulness or grounding exercise

Mindfulness has been studied as a tool to support smoking cessation. A 2020 study found that mindfulness breathing was more effective than other approaches atreducing cravings and the urge to smoke⁶.

A simple grounding technique that can be used during a craving:

•        Notice 5 things you can see

•        4 things you can feel

•        3 things you can hear

•        2 things you can smell

•        1 thing you can taste

This 'five senses' grounding exercise can help redirect attention during a strong craving. Cravings typically peak at around 3–5minutes before passing and knowing that can make them easier to sit with.

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Create a new social ritual

Formany people, the smoke break is primarily a social event. Rather than cuttingyourself off from those moments you could suggest a fresh air break with acolleague, start a morning or afternoon tea ritual, or use break times for ashort phone call with a friend or family member.

Socialconnection is a genuine wellbeing need. Finding ways to keep that need without smokingcan make it easier to hold on to what mattered about those moments.

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Track your progress

The smoke break also provided something many people underestimate. A small, regular reward built into the day. When that’s removed, the day can feel flatter and motivation can dip.

Replacing the smoke break isn't about giving something up it's about finding what works for you. Small shifts done consistently, can make quitting feel a lot less like deprivation.

References

1. National Institutes of Health. Replacing habits: evidence-based strategies for behaviour change. Cited in: Healthline (updated 2 January 2024).

2. Wood W, Neal DT. A new look at habits and the interface between habits and goals. PsycholRev. 2007.

3. McClernon FJ, Westman EC, Rose JE. The effects of controlled deep breathing on smoking withdrawal symptoms in dependent smokers. Addict Behav. 2004;29(4):765–72.

4. Klinsophon T, Thaveeratitham P, Janwantanakul P. The effect of three-part breathing exercise on smoking cessation: A 6-month cluster-randomized clinical trial. J BodyworkMov Ther. 2022;32:156–62.

5. Klinsophon T etal. Effect of exercise type on smoking cessation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Res Notes. 2017;10:442.

6. Ruscio MA etal. The effects of mindfulness-based yogic breathing on craving, affect, and smoking behavior. Nicotine Tob Res. 2020;22(4):529–37.