Following are the techniques I have used to quit and why they are effective. Again, there is no magic here, just plain old common sense.
Cold Turkey
First of all, in case you haven't figured it out yet, cold-turkey is the best way to quit, and in my opinion, the only way to quit. You can quit the gradual method, but there are pitfalls with that:
When it's gradual, you haven't eliminated the toxic smoke and nicotine from your body. So your body won't start the healing process until you've had the last one.
It's actually more difficult to quit this way, especially during the last days, because although you can have a cigarette here and there, you'll still be craving them like mad in between and you'll still have to go through the three days of hell that will follow.
It's just a childish excuse to prolong your smoking for as long as you can get away with it.
Just please do it cold-turkey as it will be so much easier for you. Later in the book, I'm going to give you a ton of techniques you will use to make it even easier for you. Don't worry, I've got your back.
One more thing. Your cold-turkey must begin in the morning after you wake up. In other words, make sure your last cigarette is just before bedtime. This way, you go to bed satisfied, and when you wake up in the morning, you'll already have a six to eight hour head start on your quit that you slept through. It's a bonus.
Note: If you work nights and sleep during the day, and your quit date is a work day, then your quit starts when you wake up for work in the evening, not in the morning when you get back from work. Basically, your quit always starts when you wake up.
The Smoking Spree
I tried this technique when I was much younger and I was so surprised by how well it worked. Basically, you arm yourself with a pack of cigarettes and you chain smoke, lighting up each cigarette with the last one. You do this until you can't take it anymore, or until you throw up. Either way, you'll be sick of them and won't want one for a long time.
This technique will give you a nice catapult into your quit, and though it might seem like the opposite of quitting, do it anyway. You won't regret it. You will feel sick, which proves how toxic cigarettes are, but you'll feel so much better afterwards.
Do this technique at the end of the day with your final cigarettes before the morning of your quit date. Again, you want your last cigarette to be at bedtime.
In case you're a chain smoker, and you already do this on a regular basis, obviously this won't work for you. Just quit cold-turkey as recommended.
Sniff It
For your quit, keep a half empty can of cola containing a few cigarette buts and lots of ashes. Then take a whiff of it whenever you get the urge to light up. Just keep it where you normally used to go to smoke, whether it's outside, in your garage, or your livingroom.
I don't know anyone who enjoys the smell of cigarette butts and ashes. Most smokers are repulsed by it, yet we never think to use it to our advantage. Well you already have the butts and ashes, so use them to help you get over the humps. I know it's gross, but do it anyway.
Did I at any point say this was going to be easy?