My Craving Toolkit Card: Free If-Then Plans and Habit-Chain Worksheet for Stopping Smoking and Vaping

Behavioural Addiction · DBT · Practice-informed

A card to keep on a phone or in a wallet. It holds if-then plans for the top triggers, a section for breaking the chain by changing one link in a pairing, a menu of body-first tools and a four-step routine for when an urge hits: name it, weigh it, ride it and choose.

Underlying mechanism: Implementation Intentions, Habit-Chain Disruption and DBT-Informed Distress Tolerance for Nicotine and Vaping Cessation

What it helps with

  • Deciding in advance what to do when nicotine usually appears, which is more reliable than good intentions.
  • Changing one link in a habit chain, such as the place or the order, instead of relying on willpower.
  • Giving the client body-first tools to use while an urge passes.
  • Putting a simple routine on the client's phone for the moment an urge hits.

How clinicians use it

  • Use it at Session 5 and write plans for the top three triggers from the nicotine map.
  • For each pairing, choose one link to change and say that the old pull may linger.
  • Practise the four-step routine with a real urge.
  • Say that if-then plans have moderate support and that chain-breaking is practice-based and untested alone.

Clinical Implementation Guide

  1. Write if-then plans and a backup for the top three triggers.
  2. Choose one link to change in each mapped pairing.
  3. Practise the four-step routine with a real urge and review the card at Session 6.

What the worksheet looks like

My Craving Toolkit Card — worked example
If this happens (trigger)Then I will...My backup is...
If it is my mid-morning breakThen I will walk for water and do 2 minutes of nose-low-slow breathingText a friend

Clinical cautions

Cue exposure was considered and not used, because trials have not shown that it helps people stay quit. Cool water on the face should be checked with a GP first if the client has a heart condition. Never use breath holds. Medication and nicotine replacement decisions belong to the client with their GP, pharmacist or stop smoking service. If the client reports hopelessness, self-harm or suicidal thoughts, follow local risk procedures. Take complex cases, pregnancy, serious mental illness and under-18s to supervision.

References

  1. McWilliams, L., Bellhouse, S., Yorke, J., Lloyd, K., & Armitage, C. J. (2019). Beyond "planning": A meta-analysis of implementation intentions to support smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 38(12), 1059-1068. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000768
  2. Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
  3. Dimeff, L. A., & Linehan, M. M. (2008). Dialectical behavior therapy for substance abusers. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 4(2), 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1151/ascp084239
  4. Niaura, R., Abrams, D. B., Shadel, W. G., Rohsenow, D. J., et al. (1999). Cue exposure treatment for smoking relapse prevention: A controlled clinical trial. Addiction, 94(5), 685-695. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.1999.9456856.x
  5. Pericot-Valverde, I., Secades-Villa, R., & Gutiérrez-Maldonado, J. (2019). A randomized clinical trial of cue exposure treatment through virtual reality for smoking cessation. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 96, 26-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2018.10.003
  6. Laborde, S., Allen, M. S., Borges, U., et al. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 138, 104711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711

Copyright and use in research

© 2026 Dr Richard Pomfret and Third Wave Therapy Tools. May be used in research with the author and site cited. Version 1.0, approved 12 October 2026, revised as the evidence develops.

Suggested citation (APA 7th edition): Pomfret, R. (2026). Quit Without the Fight: A third-wave protocol for stopping nicotine and vaping (Version 1.0) [Therapist guide and worksheets]. Third Wave Therapy Tools. https://thirdwavetherapytools.com/

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Quit Without the Fight

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