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 trick to quitting smoking, and offered it from a sympathetic perspective, with a feeling of humor and a sincere desire to help smokers.

I've seen many commercials against smoking over time. Somehave tried fighting cigarettes by unveiling statistics about smoking and its industry, with this 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 invested in their marketing pitch than the problem at hand.

And then there were the deluge of "scare tactic" commercials that demonstrate blackened lungs and people coping with tracheotomies. While I think these commercials hold some worth, they're more likely to provide a smoker pause, rather than actually helping them to quit. 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 pointed out that smoking is strongly connected to habitual behavior; you smoke together with your morning cup of coffee, during your morning routine, or during happy hour at the bar. These commercials suggested that you can relearn all these activities without a cigarette. The one about happy hour even suggested you "keep a beer in a single hand and not a cigarette in another". That's smart advice.

Physical addiction of nicotine is nothing when compared to the mental addiction of smoking. For this 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 quit 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. Removing those last few lines of defense could possibly be the hardest.

Once you quit cigarettes (or are along the way of doing so), you might notice certain new habits overtaking temporarily. Once of them is the famous one: eating. And 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 effective at keeping my mind and body off of smoking, it should be recommended in organizations: playing video games.

It really is probably arguable that the total sensory connection with playing a video game 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 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 and watch a movie!

Video games are down-time too, but do not 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 way too engaged with the game to smoke (or utilize the bathroom, for that matter!). In fact, when I would light up a cigarette between matches, I'd take my first puff and put it down, once we would already be back the firefight. By the time I reached for my cigarette again, nothing remained save a long log of ash, burning off in the ashtray. That's a powerful moment to notice; I had made my choice. That wouldn't be the last cigarette I ever had. But it wouldn't function as last time I ignored them and only playing video games, either.

Playing video games isn't a magical solution, and you can find lots of variables when quitting smoking, so your mileage can vary greatly. I already wanted to stop smoking, but video games helped by running interference, and 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, based on the amount of cigarettes you are not buying). When I'd return from work and settle down for the evening, I would lie on my back in bed playing games. That worked great for me, when i was in even less of a position to attain for a cigarette, and even more relaxed than normal. That said, I think a stronger case could be designed for taking your portable on the run, as it's intended for. Now iron-fall waiting for the subway or sitting during your lunch break at work, 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 importance enough of video games occupying your hands. While Freud would likely reveal smoking is an oral fixation (see: eating, chewing pen caps), we hold a cigarette in our hands; it is portion of the appeal. So, when our hands are busy, we are less inclined 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, most 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 also survive) them.