How long does a nicotine craving last, and how to get through it

Why cravings feel endless

Cravings can start within an hour or two of the last cigarette, according to the US National Cancer Institute, and they are strongest in the first week. In the moment a craving feels like it will only get worse until you smoke. It does not: it rises, peaks and fades, and every one you get through makes the next one weaker.

Cravings are often tied to moments rather than to nicotine levels: the first coffee, the break at work, the drive home, the evening drink. Those moments are where a plan matters most.

What helps in the moment

The WHO quitting toolkit and the Mayo Clinic recommend simple things:

• Delay: tell yourself you will wait 10 minutes. Most cravings are gone before then.
• Breathe: ten slow, deep breaths.
• Drink a glass of water or chew something.
• Distract your mind and your hands: move, walk, play something short.
• Talk to someone who understands.

Can games help?

Early research suggests short visual games can blunt cravings. In a small study published in Addictive Behaviors in 2015, playing Tetris for three minutes reduced the reported strength of cravings, including for nicotine. It is a small study, but it matches what many people find: giving the mind a small, absorbing task for a few minutes is easier than fighting the thought head on.

How Freewill helps with cravings

Freewill gives you three things for those minutes: a guided breathing exercise that lasts about as long as a craving, quick games such as Word of the day, Snake, Piano and Find the pair, and a Craving room in the community where people who are quitting answer when you are about to smoke. Routines with reminders cover the moments that trigger cravings, like the morning coffee or the drive home.