I used to be a pack-a-day smoker. What helped me quit was a combination of cognitive and gestalt techniques, although I didn't call it that at the time. It was cognitive in that I made myself aware of all the reasons it would be better to not smoke, and gestalt in being more aware of the feeling at the moment, such as my clothes smell,or I get tired of emptying ashtrays, or I always have to interrupt the activity or bother somebody because I need to smoke, or my lungs feel like they're sticking to eachother or......It was a process of thought that went on for some time before I actually quit. Then, when all these thoughts had crystallized, one day i ran out of cigarettes and didn't feel like going out and getting another pack just then. Then, once a few hours had elapsed, and because I had been thinking about it, the stage was set and I took that opportunity to follow through. I kept telling myself this was the window of opportunity I had been waiting for and the longer I abstained, the easier it was to keep my resolve. I did not set a specific date to quit, but set myself up mentally for the time an opporunity did come up. It was about two weeks of being uncomfortable, mostly mentally, but after that it was not hard to stay away. I haven't touched a cigarette for 12 years and can't stand to be near smoke now.
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