CognitiveQuitting is a body based approach to smoking and quitting. Every cigarette a smoker lights is triggered by physiological (body) cues. Everything else i.e. emotions, situations, social settings, all of our assumed 'reasons' for smoking are but layers on top of the body cues.
Most of the cigarettes a smoker lights are not because of a depleted nicotine level but rather because there are body cues present in that moment that need a change and have become associated with a singular response that 'works' every time. And while it's true that if we smoke we're addicted to nicotine, we do not continue to smoke because of that addiction. We generally continue to smoke, and have so much difficulty quitting, because smoking has become an extremely effective behavior... a way to deal with a set of body cues that are at the core of how we physically experience life. Those body cues are as simple as the way you're breathing in this moment or the degree of tension in your neck and shoulders.
The fastest way to change your smoking response to body cues is to become more aware of your cues and start to choose focused effective responses to whatever body cues you observe. The skill of accurately recognizing your body cues is one you can master within 2-3 days regardless of whether or not you're still smoking. You may find it easier to start the program while you're still smoking. That way you can continue using nicotine while you introduce new responses that will replace cigarettes.