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

I've seen many commercials against smoking over the years. Somehave tried fighting cigarettes by unveiling statistics about smoking and its own industry, with this particular self-righteous "look how clever we have been" approach that's rather alienating. It's like being told to quit smoking by a person 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 show you blackened lungs and people coping with tracheotomies. While I believe these commercials hold some worth, they are more likely to give a smoker pause, instead of actually helping them to give up. read more in, and kicks out the bad ones.

The aforementioned campaign, however, nailed the essence of the smoking problem in a few brief moments. It pointed out that smoking is strongly linked to habitual behavior; you smoke together with your morning cup of coffee, throughout your morning routine, or during happy hour at the bar. These commercials suggested that one could relearn all these activities without a cigarette. The one about happy hour even suggested you "keep a beer in one hand and not a cigarette in another". That is smart advice.

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

Once you quit cigarettes (or are in the process of doing so), you may 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're completely unrecognizable). However, one activity that interfered with my smoking was entirely by chance, and yet so effective at keeping my body and mind off of smoking, it ought to be recommended in organizations: playing video games.

It really is probably arguable that the full total sensory connection with playing a video game contributes in distracting the ball player from other activities like smoking (or socializing... kidding!), but Additional hints believe that the controller is the key. Keeping both of your hands fully occupied and working hastily enables you to just forget about holding a cigarette.

And why not? People tend to smoke the most when they are unoccupied, bored and feeling lazy. People smoke on the 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 watching 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 game to smoke (or use the bathroom, for example!). In fact, when I'd light up a cigarette between matches, I would take my first puff and put it down, once we would already be back the firefight. By check here reached for my cigarette again, nothing remained save an extended log of ash, burning away in the ashtray. That's a powerful moment to notice; I had made my choice. That wouldn't function as last cigarette I ever endured. But it wouldn't function as last time I ignored them and only playing video games, either.

Playing video games is not a magical solution, and there are lots of variables when quitting smoking, so your mileage can vary greatly. I already wanted to quit smoking, but video gaming helped by running interference, also it helped to help keep me occupied once I quit smoking entirely.

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

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