The Last Cigarette

What do you do when you suffer from a Compulsive Behavior - an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or an Addiction of some sort.

Let's assume that you are an addict of cigarettes. (For those who do not smoke, think of any other thing that you are addicted to - alcohol, gym, surfing the net, making phone calls, etc. - so that you empathise with the Cigarette smoker). And let's assume that you want to quit that compulsive behavior. What do you do?

There may be many ways and techniques avaible. But here's one that I've found to be effective in many different situations myself (Explained with the example of a cigarette addict):

Carry a cigarette with you always - just one - to allow yourself one last chance to smoke. It gives you the enticement that you are so near to smoking, that you can smoke anytime that you want to. But it also tests your determination in a way that if you smoke the last cigarette, all your determination will go for a toss.

It gives you an option to smoke, and derives from you a commitment that you will not smoke in the future. If you smoke, you smoke for the last time; thereby losing yourself a chance to have your last smoke in the future.

Initially, there will be very strong urges to smoke. But slowly, and steadily, those urges to smoke will become few and far between as you continue seeing that cigarette daily and continue controlling your urges. Gradually, as you become grittier and are able to develop enough self-control, you may not need to carry the cigarette always with you.

I know there are various types & levels of compulsive behaviors, and various types of personalities, so this technique may not be effective in all the cases. So to try it or not is totally up to your discretion.