In somewhat recent years, there is a campaign of anti-smoking commercials from BecomeAnEx.org, and I loved them. It was the 1st 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 own industry, with this particular self-righteous "look how clever we have been" approach that's rather alienating. Additional info 's like being told to give up smoking by a person who is more invested in their marketing pitch compared to the problem at hand.

And then t here 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 are more likely to provide a smoker pause, rather than 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 a few brief moments. It pointed out 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 that one could relearn all these activities without a cigarette. The main one about happy hour even suggested you "keep a beer in a single hand and anything but a cigarette in the other". That is smart advice.

Physical addiction of nicotine is nothing in comparison with the mental addiction of smoking. This is the reason wearing a patch doesn't instantly fix the problem; a smoker still really 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 this 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 overtaking temporarily. Once of them may be the famous one: eating. And 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, yet so effective at keeping my body and mind off of smoking, it should be recommended in support groups: playing video games.

It is probably arguable that the full total sensory connection with playing a gaming contributes in distracting the player from other activities like smoking (or socializing... kidding!), but I really believe that the controller is the key. Keeping both of your hands fully occupied and working hastily makes you just 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 watching a movie!

Video games are down time too, but don't allow for a half-hearted relationship with them. more info remember when I would 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 would take my first puff and put it down, once we would already be back in the firefight. By the time I reached for my cigarette again, nothing remained save an extended log of ash, burning off in the ashtray. That's 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 is not a magical solution, and you can find plenty 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 keep me occupied once I quit smoking entirely.

Around this time, I was spending a good 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, in line with the amount of cigarettes you are not buying). When I'd return from work and settle down for the evening, I'd lie on my back bed playing games. That worked great for me, as I was in even less of a posture to reach for a cigarette, and much more relaxed than normal. Having said that, I think a stronger case could be designed for taking your portable on the go, as it's intended for. Now you're waiting for the subway or sitting throughout your lunch break at the job, and you're focusing on your game, without 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 significance enough of video games occupying the hands. While Freud would likely reveal smoking is 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 likely to be holding a cigarette. Playing a game engages the upper half of your body arguably more than worries does. When driving, you have one free hand to smoke with. Also, a lot of people drive exactly the same roads ad nauseam, and it largely becomes a mindless activity, second nature even. In contrast, video gaming frequently change things up, producing new challenges and garnering your full attention merely to master (and even survive) them.