How do you quit smoking? You just don't. It's that simple. I mean physically, it takes more energy to find a place to smoke, grab a cigarette, put it in your mouth and inhale it than to not smoke it at all.
The key to doing this is self-control, but not a lot of us have it. Thus, I'd like to share some methods of increasing it.
Water
The first step of successfully quitting smoking is drinking WATER. That's it, water, H2O.
Wait until you have a craving for a cigarette. When it comes to you, drink a tall glass of ice-cold water, and your craving will go away. I don't know the biology behind this; maybe the cold-water does something to your blood flow that simulates the effects of nicotine. Or maybe your blood vessels contract as a reaction to the cold water to make the blood flow to your limbs minimal, so that the blood flow is concentrated towards the core of your body to counter the effects of the coldness, and that sudden shock from the cold water makes you forget about your need for nicotine.
Whatever it is, the important thing is that it WORKS.
Tease Yourself
This is always the tricky part. Seriously, would you rather choose a cigarette or a cup of cold-water when you crave your nicotine? If you didn't have the self-control, you would probably go find a cigarette. If this happens, then it means that we need more self-control. So what do you do?
You need to be teased. During my first day, I ate at a restaurant where they allowed smoking. I asked for an ashtray and put the cigarettes that I had in front of it, so that I had the chance to smoke anytime I wanted. But I didn't. After I finished my meal, I left my cigarettes and lighter on the table; I didn't want them anymore.
That following evening, I met a friend and asked him to tease me with cigarettes. He kept blowing smoke in my face, and shoved one in my mouth and handed me a lighter. During that one hour of hell that I was meeting him, he kept on repeating the fact that I could quit another day and that there were cigarettes available for me at the instant.
I didn't smoke that day and went to sleep feeling like a boss. That night, I had a VERY vivid dream that I gave into the teasing and treated myself to a cigarette and regret swarmed over me instantly. But then I woke up, realized it was a dream, and felt like a boss :)
Talk To Yourself
During your endeavor to quit, talk to yourself. Remind yourself how bad cigarettes are for your health. They change your image, makes you age faster and increases the risks of cancer and a quicker death. They are disgusting.
Remind that to yourself when you want a cigarette.
In fact, say it out loud.
Say something that would make yourself look like a fucking-retard if you DID light a cigarette even after saying what you told yourself.
On an unrelated note: If you do manage to quit smoking, then you'll feel like a boss. You'll wake up each morning knowing that you are a man of self-control, and that you don't need cigarettes in your life.
In fact, I felt so motivated that I started doing things that I normally wouldn't do; get my work done on usual, exercise more often, gather up the courage to ask a girl out even though I knew that I could be rejected (I did get rejected.)
I felt and still feel as if nothing is impossible if I just put my mind on it.
So go put that cigarette away, today is D-Day for you.