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Talking on the Telephone
What to Expect
Expect to be nervous because you want something in your hand while on the phone.
You may want to smoke during every phone call, only during certain phone calls or only during calls made at specific times of the day.
Frequency
Be prepared—the urges will vary.
Self-Management
Keep cigarettes, ashtrays, matches, and lighters away from your telephone.
Pick up a pencil and have a large memo pad for doodling.
Hold the phone with the hand you used for smoking.
While you are on the phone, walk around as much as possible.
Keep some gum by the phone; chew while you talk.
Note down which calls make you want to smoke. Do specific types of calls or calls made at a certain time affect you more? Is calling a certain person (or certain people) more difficult?
Each day, make a list of the difficult calls that you have to make and get them out of the way early.
Nicotine and Your Body and Mind
Many studies have reported the euphoric, stimulating, and anti-anxiety effects of smoking—may actually make you feel happier, more alert, etc.
These feelings may make you want a cigarette and you may have also associated these feelings with having a satisfying telephone conversation.
Having a telephone conversation may spark all the positive feelings that you have associated with this activity in the past. When you quit, you may feel the loss of these feelings and speaking on the phone without smoking may make you feel even more at a loss.