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Trying to Quit Something? Don’t!
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A new way to stop your cravings
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We’ve all heard it before: “Just quit!” Whether it’s smoking, drinking, or any habit we want to break, the popular advice is to just stop. But what if quitting is the very thing that keeps you stuck in a cycle of craving and failure?
Here’s a surprising twist on quitting:
	Don’t! That’s right—don’t quit right now. Promise yourself you’ll stop later.
You might be thinking, “Wait, isn’t the whole point of quitting to stop entirely?” Yes, but there’s a trick in how we approach the idea of quitting that can make all the difference. If you’re trying to quit something and you’re constantly fighting cravings, you’re not failing because you lack willpower. You’re failing because
	cravings are a result of trying to quit too soon. What if I told you there’s a way to eliminate cravings without cold turkey withdrawal? What if you could make cravings disappear by changing the way you promise yourself things?
The Craving Cycle: Why Quitting Makes It Worse
Cravings are one of the hardest parts of quitting. Whether it’s cigarettes, alcohol, or food, we crave the very things we’re trying to escape. But it’s not the thing itself that causes the problem—it’s our
	relationship with it.
When you tell yourself, “I’m never going to smoke again,” or “I’m never drinking again,” you create a sense of deprivation. This triggers a sense of loss in your brain, which floods your system with stress hormones. That stress is interpreted by your brain as a threat. To resolve the threat, your brain releases dopamine, the chemical responsible for pleasure and reward. The only way to satisfy that dopamine craving is by having the thing you promised to quit.
In other words, quitting creates a vicious cycle: you promise to stop, then the craving hits, you can’t resist, and you give in. This creates a sense of guilt, which only reinforces the cycle. You end up back where you started, but with even more cravings than before.
The Solution: Make a Promise—Just Not NowHere’s where it gets interesting.
	What if instead of quitting, you promise yourself that you’ll use the thing you want to quit later?
This may sound counterintuitive, but stick with me. The power of a promise is rooted in something called
	delayed gratification. Delayed gratification is when you resist the temptation of an immediate reward in favor of a greater reward later. Research has shown that the ability to delay gratification is a critical skill for breaking bad habits and achieving long-term success.

Studies in behavioral psychology have demonstrated that the anticipation of a future reward activates the brain’s dopamine system. By promising yourself that you’ll indulge in your desired habit in, say, an hour, you’re allowing your brain to receive a “dopamine hit” without giving in to the craving right away. The anticipation creates the reward, and the craving begins to dissipate. You’re allowing the brain to feel pleasure and relief from stress without actually indulging in the habit.
The Science Behind It: Dopamine and the Power of Promises
Neuroscientific research has uncovered some fascinating insights into how our brain responds to anticipation. Dopamine is often called the “feel-good” chemical, but its role is much more complex. It doesn’t just make us feel pleasure—it also
	drives motivation and goal-directed behavior. When you make a promise to yourself, you’re essentially triggering a dopamine response, even if the reward is delayed.

A 2016 study published in Nature Neuroscience found that the brain’s reward circuitry is activated by the promise of a future reward, and this anticipation can reduce the intensity of cravings. The researchers noted that the brain’s dopamine system can be recalibrated by thinking ahead to a future moment when the craving might be satisfied, without the immediate need to act on it. This makes it easier to resist the urge in the present moment.
By promising yourself that you’ll indulge later, you’re giving your brain a dopamine release without triggering the full “I must have it now” response. This shift allows you to manage your cravings more effectively, breaking the cycle of instant gratification that leads to failure.
Why the Promise WorksThe core of the promise method is that it
	reframes your thinking. Instead of focusing on the deprivation of quitting, you’re now focusing on a future opportunity to enjoy the thing you’re trying to avoid. This not only reduces the intensity of cravings but also makes it easier to stick with your goal.

Another reason this works is that it taps into your brain’s natural craving for novelty and exploration. When you promise to indulge in the future, you’re allowing your brain to expect something pleasurable without the constant reinforcement of “I can’t have this.”
This method isn’t about tricking your brain into thinking the craving is gone—it’s about reprogramming your approach to those cravings. Instead of giving in right away, you get to practice self-control while still giving your brain something to look forward to.
A Simple Example: Quitting Smoking
Let’s say you’re trying to quit smoking. You’re struggling with cravings, and the idea of “never smoking again” feels impossible. The next time you feel the urge, instead of telling yourself, “I’m never smoking again,” try telling yourself, “I’ll smoke in three hours.” In that time, your brain will experience a reduced craving intensity because it knows it’ll get the reward later. By the time three hours rolls around, you’ll often find that the craving has dissipated, and the need to smoke may no longer feel as pressing.
You’ve taken away the sense of deprivation, and instead of focusing on the immediate urge, you’ve reframed the process to focus on the reward later. It’s a small but incredibly powerful shift in thinking.
The Bottom Line
Quitting doesn’t have to mean cold turkey, and cravings don’t have to rule your life. By making a simple promise to yourself that you’ll indulge in your habit later, you can clear your cravings without the stress and deprivation of traditional quitting methods. Science backs this up, showing that delayed gratification and the anticipation of future rewards can help reduce cravings and rewire your brain’s reward system.
The next time you find yourself struggling with the urge to quit, remember: You don’t have to quit right now. Just promise yourself you’ll stop later, and let your brain’s reward system do the work for you.
References:

	Ainslie, G. (2001). Breakdown of Will. Cambridge University Press.
	McClure, S. M., Laibson, D. I., Loewenstein, G., & Cohen, J. D. (2004). Separate neural systems value immediate and delayed monetary rewards. Science, 306(5695), 503–507.
	McGill, M., & Howie, P. (2016). The Neuroscience of Craving and Self-Control. Nature Neuroscience, 19(4), 470–477.


Tuesday 08:30 AM, 12 November 2024
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