The key is to retrain your brain. Instead of going out for a cigarette, go out for a breath of fresh air. You’ll be surprised to find out how many others are taking a breather from the hectic social scene. Chances are you may even run into a kindred soul, someone else who’s struggling to break the habit.

It is Part of Your Daily Routine

Even for non-smokers, taking a “smoke break” to stand near a parking lot and eat carrot sticks lacks any appeal. Having a cigarette accompanies so many events in smokers' days: a wake-up cig with your morning coffee, another on the drive into work, one mid-morning, after lunch, mid-afternoon, at happy hour, and then when you get home while you relax before bed.

For anyone, removing an activity that you partake in on such a regular basis will make you feel like something is missing. Tweaking a daily habit has been proven to work. For example, eat a small piece of chocolate to end a meal rather than reaching for a cigarette. However, the concept of changing so many things about your already packed and stressful schedule can seem daunting, if not impossible.

The trick is to find a substitute that appeals to you. For instance, if you smoke on your drive to work, psychologists suggest taking a new route so that you don't see the same things every day. Those familiar sights can be a trigger.  

Try Google mapping a new path, perhaps past a park or some breakfast joints that are recommended on Yelp. For the drive home, maybe offer a co-worker a ride so that you have a distraction or stop by a store that sells craft or hobby items. You'll want to establish a new activity in the place of smoking in your off-time.

On average, the craving for a cigarette lasts about six minutes. If you can redirect your thoughts for that small time period, then you should be able to continue on with your day without backsliding. Generally, you wouldn’t be able to locate a cigarette in six minutes. So keep some distractions handy – hard candy, a video game on your phone, texting a friend – and you can change that part of your daily routine one step at a time.