Try this smelly approach to kicking your cigarette habit for good

Smokers are a dying a breed… and I don’t mean literally (although, statistically smokers do die a lot sooner than non-smokers).

I mean that fewer people are smoking today than ever.

In the past 50 years, smoking rates have gone down more than 50 percent.

People are quitting. Younger generations aren’t starting in the first place. And yet there are still 40 million Americans who smoke. Go figure.

The good news is at least half of these smokers want to quit.

The bad news is quitting smoking is hard. Most former smokers will tell you it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done (and that includes childbirth, hiking the Appalachian trail, earning Ph.D.s, serving in the army and other not-exactly-easy tasks).

That’s why at least half of smokers who try quitting relapse within two weeks.

Part of the reason quitting is so hard is because your body becomes physically addicted to nicotine. It would stand to reason then that replacing nicotine with gum or a patch would make quitting a breeze. But nope. Even people who try nicotine replacement relapse frequently.

So, what can you do to successfully kick your smoking habit for good?

Sniff something pleasant, that’s what. I know it sounds too simple. But a new study shows that it works wonders for tackling cigarette cravings.

Nice smells make not-so-nice cigarette cravings fade

Let’s say you’re a smoker who’s trying to quit and you’re struck by a sudden, overpowering urge to light up. What’s the first thing you reach for? A piece of Nicorette? A slice of pizza? How about a bottle of peppermint oil?

The last one may be your best bet for curbing your craving, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh. They just conducted a study that included 232 smokers between ages 18 to 55.

Now, these smokers weren’t trying to quit. But researchers still found that exposing them to pleasant scents when a cigarette craving struck caused the craving to fade. The scents they used in the study included:

• Chocolate
• Apple
• Peppermint
• Lemon
• Vanilla

You may be wondering how something as simple as a pleasant smell could tackle something as stubborn as a cigarette craving. Here’s the answer…

Researchers believe pleasant smells evoke memories that distract smokers from their craving. The smell of peppermint, for example, reminded some smokers of spending Christmas with their grandparents when they were a child.

“Using pleasant odors to disrupt smoking routines would offer a distinct and novel method for reducing cravings, and our results to this end are promising,” said the study’s lead author Michael Sayette.

Take a trip down memory lane with fragrant essential oils (no smoking allowed)

If you’re struggling to quit smoking, why not try this smelly approach to kicking your cigarette habit for good?

It’s simple, inexpensive and risk-free.

Related: Why this may be the worst way to quit smoking

Start by brainstorming a few scents that evoke pleasant memories for you. Maybe the scent of pine reminds you of camping as a kid. Or the scent of lemon reminds you of making lemonade with your mom. Or the scent of frankincense reminds you of attending midnight mass at Christmas with your family. Pick a scent that you not only like but that has memories attached to it.

Once you land on a scent, search for an essential oil that captures that scent. You can buy essential oils at health food stores or online. Carry the essential oil bottle around with you throughout your day. You can also put some oil on a handkerchief or cotton ball or purchase an essential oil diffuser necklace if you prefer not to carry the whole bottle.

Whenever a cigarette craving strikes, close your eyes and take a whiff of your oil. Immerse yourself in the scent and the memory it brings up. Before you know it, your cigarette craving will be a distant memory too!

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Sources:

1. Good smells may help ease tobacco cravings — MedicalXpress
2. Pleasant olfactory cues can reduce cigarette craving — Journal of Abnormal Psychology
3. Smoking is down, but almost 38 million American adults still smoke — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4. How Far We Have Come in the Last 50 Years in Smoking Attitudes and Actions — Annals of the American Thoracic Society