A relationship with substance abuse changes over time. I got drunk for the first time when I was 12, smoked weed when I was 16, and had my first "dip" of smokeless tobacco when I was 18. The latter has been the hardest get rid of. I went through a long period of thinking that I would smoke weed forever and then, one day, I just had no desire to get "high" again. The novelty wore off and I started to see where my energy actually went.
Before quitting, I had a job that didn't allow me to get high during the day. After two years I saw how productive I could be without weed. I would still get high at night, but I learned that I wanted to have control over that time as well. Unfortunately when one substance stops, another begins. I began drinking and "dipping" to offset the weed. The same motivation for stopping weed is occurring for tobacco. I am just not as productive when I can distract myself from my goals with a substance. Invariably this is what a substances is, a distraction. It will possess our attention and distract us from something more difficult. Just think of a bar. We drink because socializing is uncomfortable, but it is also why we go to bars!
Smoking cigarettes with peers combines these two things which is even harder to resist. Right now I am trying to combine personal goals with healthy rituals that promote socializing. I've started to write more, go to more open mics, drink less, and start exercising. Every time I crave tobacco, I must decide whether to give in or be productive. The price I pay in money and health doesn't motivate me nearly as much as the time I spend. It is strange that the more abstract way of looking at the habit has proven the most effective way to combat it. First I had to ask myself an honest question, though: "What do I really want to do?" Ask that question everyday and you'll have control over addiction.