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About the project

Why the HowNotSmoke® project was created

1. Why the HowNotSmoke® project was created

The HowNotSmoke project was created as a response to a fundamental problem: smoking continues not because of a person’s weakness, but because of an inner dependence that most methods never touch.

We set ourselves the goal of developing an approach that:

  • does not require willpower;
  • does not create inner conflict;
  • does not rely on pressure or suggestion;
  • gradually switches off the mechanism of inner dependence.

The result is a system where smoking stops in a single moment, and the emotional‑impulse dependence dissolves gently and naturally.

2. Where the method comes from

The method emerged at the intersection of:

  • the neuropsychology of emotional impulses;
  • behavioural medicine;
  • research into automatic habits;
  • analysis of trigger chains;
  • emotional tension regulation.

The main question we studied was: “Why does a person keep smoking even when they no longer get any pleasure from it?”

The answer turned out to lie in the automatic internal reactions that the brain launches under certain conditions — and that can be switched off.

3. Why the method eliminates willpower

Willpower only works over a short distance. It gets exhausted, and with it the attempt to quit.

Willpower‑based methods:

  • increase anxiety;
  • create inner tension;
  • strengthen the internal impulse to smoke;
  • lead to setbacks and relapses.

The HowNotSmoke method does the opposite: it lowers the emotional activation of the inner dependence so that the automatic impulse weakens and disappears.

4. What makes the method unique

  • quitting smoking is immediate, in one moment;
  • the inner impulse gradually loses its strength;
  • the method works with emotions, triggers, rituals and fears;
  • no hypnosis, suggestion or manipulation;
  • no nicotine replacement;
  • no suppression, pressure or “effort”.

Instead of struggle — scientific regulation of internal processes.

5. Safety and ethics

The method is completely ethical:

  • does not interfere with consciousness;
  • does not form a sense of guilt;
  • does not cause stress or deprivation;
  • does not require constant control;
  • does not rely on willpower.

Internal reactions weaken evenly. A person receives a process that is clear, predictable and calm.

6. Who the method is for

The method is suitable for people who:

  • are tired of fighting;
  • are afraid of relapse;
  • worry about weight gain;
  • have tried everything, but the inner dependence kept returning;
  • need a logical and explainable system;
  • value a scientific, non‑mystical approach.

7. History of the project

  • analysis of weak points in willpower‑based methods;
  • building a model of inner dependence;
  • research into emotional‑impulse chains;
  • creating a multi‑level work structure;
  • testing with different categories of users;
  • adding a module on fears (including fear of weight gain);
  • launching HowNotSmoke as an independent system.

8. Our position

We do not force a person to fight. We switch off the dependence mechanism. When a person understands the nature of the inner impulse, they stop being its hostage.