GREAT topic, a little clarification:  
 
 
 
Respectfully, this comes from a man who does not smoke, although his message is apt for firt-time smokers. The vast majority of people who smoke are addicts now. The nature of addiction is that smoking relieves the physical and psychological craving an addict experiences when the nicotine serum in their blood dips below a certain point. Mindfulness will show them both how crappy they feel when they 'need' a hit, and how relieved they feel when they smoke. Period.  
 
 
 
GOOD NEWS 
 
If someone resolves to quit smoking, mindfulness can be used to arrest an addiction. This is where I would have liked the quote to go. You must resolve to deny yourself temporary 'relief' that a hit provides when your addiction is active, until you crave no more. This is an investment worth making, by the way. You can use mindfulness to help yourself heal through the phases of (first) withdrawal, and then (second) re-writing the remaining triggers that prompt you to smoke. While withdrawal is only a few days, trigger busting takes longer. Knowing it will end and recognizing triggers as merely triggers, and particularly watching them come and go until they are so few it is laughable (to eventually none) is very self-awakening and rewarding. I personally know dozens of people (and have read of thousands more) who have accomplished this in this way, although they did not use the term mindfulness.  
 
 
 
Can I quote a website/message board where I learned this on your blog to direct anyone who is interested in doing this? It is run by nicotine cessation counsellors. I have been nicotine free for almost 6 years.  
 
 
 
I enjoy your blog very much. Thank you. 
 
Kathleen Craig 
 
Toronto, Canada 
 
 
 

Addendum: 
 
I learned the technique we were using was called mindfulness by studying the teachings of the venerable Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, and then having it confirmed in work at one of his retreats in 2005. In the quit-smoking group, we call it Embracing a Crave.

Kay - Thank you so much for sharing this. Always appreciated.