I quit more than 15 years ago after more than 2 packs a day. I did it because my (then) 12 year old son asked me to because he didn't want me to die. I put 'em down and haven't smoked one from that day to this.
I played a head game on myself. I left the pack right where I usually kept it. And I told myself that they're right there. I can have one any time I want. But wait fifteen minutes. If I still wanted one after fifteen minutes, I could have one.
I'd make the fifteen minutes and consider it. You can believe I picked the pack up many times, felt it in my fingers and even smelled from it deeply. But I put it back down, telling myself that I could have one in fifteen minutes if I really NEEDED one.
It went like that for a day or two, and I jumped up to twenty minutes. It wasn't easy, trying to find things to do to keep my mind off it. I don't think my house has ever been cleaner.
Every day or so, I'd bump it up another five minutes. By the time I got to 45 minutes, I didn't think about them as much, and keeping myself otherwise occupied wasn't as hard.
At some point, I stuck 'em in the kitchen drawer and there they sat until a neighbor asked if I had a smoke they could bum. I gave 'em that whole pack. It had to be insanely stale by then, but I know from experience that when a smoker is jonesing, it didn't matter.
I know that if I'd put them away, I never would have quit. I would have moved heaven and earth to get my hands on a smoke if I felt like I couldn't have one. Having them where I could see them aided my resolve. They're right there. You can have one if you want one. But how badly do you really need it?
They say that if you can make it 3 days without a smoke, the addiction isn't physical anymore. After that, it's all in your head. And that really is the hard part. I won't lie, I sometimes still miss 'em. I smoke in my dreams, upset that I started again. But then I wake up, and I'm relieved that it's just a dream. So you might never shake it completely, but you can own your own body, your choices and your fate.
You can do it!