While light activities can be resumed, strenuous exercise or heavy lifting should be avoided for 24 hours, as well as consuming hot or hard foods and touching the extraction site. For at least 72 hours, you must avoid vigorous rinsing or spitting, drinking through straws, smoking or tobacco use, and consuming alcohol. While you are healing, we rely on the blood clot to insulate the socket until the gum closes. The above activities can cause blood clot loss which can lead to a dry socket. Dry sockets are extremely painful.