In somewhat recent years, there is a campaign of anti-smoking commercials from BecomeAnEx.org, and I loved them. It had been the very first time I felt like someone really discovered the secret to quitting smoking, and offered it from a sympathetic perspective, with a sense of humor and a sincere need to help smokers.

I have seen many commercials against smoking over time. Somehave tried fighting cigarettes by unveiling statistics about smoking and its industry, with this particular self-righteous "look how clever we have been" approach that is rather alienating. It's like being told to quit smoking by someone who is more committed to their marketing pitch compared to the problem at hand.

And then there were the deluge of "scare tactic" commercials that demonstrate blackened lungs and people living with tracheotomies. While I think these commercials hold some worth, they're more likely to provide a smoker pause, instead of actually helping them to give up. Our selective memory kicks in, and kicks out the bad ones.

These campaign, however, nailed the essence of the smoking problem in several brief moments. It remarked that smoking is strongly linked to habitual behavior; you smoke with your morning cup of coffee, throughout your morning routine, or during happy hour at the bar. These commercials suggested you could relearn all of these activities without a cigarette. The one about happy hour even suggested you "keep a beer in one hand and anything but a cigarette in the other". That's smart advice.

Physical addiction of nicotine is nothing when compared to the mental addiction of smoking. Because of this , wearing a patch doesn't instantly fix the problem; a smoker still wants to hold and smoke a cigarette. Mental addiction is king. I was quite lucky; I gradually gave up smoking simply because I had not been enjoying it anymore, and that made it far easier to walk away. But some of that habitual smoking through association was still rearing its ugly head. Getting rid of those last few lines of defense could possibly be the hardest.

When you quit cigarettes (or are in the process of doing so), you might notice certain new habits taking over temporarily. Once of them is the famous one: eating. Along with other ones pop-up, like chewing the caps from pens (until they are completely unrecognizable). However, one activity that interfered with my smoking was entirely by chance, and yet so able to keeping my mind and body off of smoking, it ought to be recommended in support groups: playing video games.

It really is probably arguable that the total sensory experience of playing a gaming contributes in distracting the player from other activities like smoking (or socializing... kidding!), but I believe that the controller may be the key. Keeping both of your hands fully occupied and working hastily makes you forget about holding a cigarette.

And why not? People tend to smoke the most if they are unoccupied, bored and feeling lazy. People smoke on their breaks. People smoke at their laptops and during a football game on television. It's down time, time to drink a beer, have a smoke and watch a movie!

Video games are down time too, but never let for a half-hearted relationship with them. I remember when I'd play games like Halo 3 online, discussing strategies with friends and controlling my Spartan Soldier. I was much too engaged with the overall game to smoke (or use the bathroom, for example!). In fact, when I would light up a cigarette between matches, I'd take my first puff and put it down, as we would already be back the firefight. By enough time I reached for my cigarette again, nothing remained save an extended log of ash, burning off in the ashtray. That is clearly a powerful moment to note; I had made my choice. That wouldn't function as last cigarette I ever endured. But it wouldn't be the last time I ignored them in favor of playing video games, either.

Playing video games isn't a magical solution, and there are a great deal of variables when quitting smoking, so your mileage may vary. I already wanted to quit smoking, but video games helped by running interference, also it helped to help keep me occupied once I quit smoking entirely.

For this time, I was spending a great deal of my gaming time with portable systems, just like the DS Lite and the PSP (the best part is when you easily justify your PSP purchase, based on the amount of cigarettes you're not buying). When I'd return from work and settle down for the evening, I would lie on my back bed doing offers. That worked ideal for me, as I was in even less of a position to reach for a cigarette, and even more relaxed than normal. That said, I think a stronger case could possibly be made for taking your portable on the run, as it's intended for. Now you're looking forward to the subway or sitting during your lunch break at the job, and you're focusing on your game, with no free hands or time and energy to smoke. Try reading the newspaper instead, or worse, just standing or sitting there. more info can be a lot more tempting.

I can't stress the importance enough of video games occupying your hands. While Freud would likely tell us smoking can be an oral fixation (see: eating, chewing pen caps), we hold a cigarette inside our hands; it is the main appeal. So, when our hands are busy, we are less inclined to be holding a cigarette. Playing a game engages the upper 1 / 2 of your body arguably more than worries does. When driving, you have one free hand to smoke with. Also, a lot of people drive the same roads ad nauseam, also it largely becomes a mindless activity, second nature even. On the other hand, video gaming frequently change things up, producing new challenges and garnering your full attention just to master (and also survive) them.