There is no trick. This will require active repragramming from you for months.
I couldn’t find a quit method that took the fight out of my addiction. You have to want to quit more than your addiction. That’s nice but doesn’t mean much.
I found in practice, this equates to action in meeting cravings with determination. Even if you don’t really feel it. You’re used to feeling anxious/angry/sad/sorry for yourself when you can’t have a cigarette. Take back that moment, that feeling. Redefine it. It’s a battle you’re choosing, and the best thing you can do is practice fighting it.
The plus side is, the battle will change as you fight it. So you won’t get bored!
The first two weeks are the hardest.
You already know the first fight, if you’ve ever had to wait for the shops to open to buy some cigarettes or tobacco. You’ve just got to raw dog that. It’s going to suck, but it will at least suck with purpose.
After about 4 days, I started getting spiky, intense cravings that passed after about 30 mins to an hour. Several times a day.
By week two, I only struggled when I was around smokers, saw it on tv, read about it, had a drink (it’s still hard).
There was a resurgence in cravings in month two. I felt I’d earned a puff or two. This is a trap. Notice it, it’s a useful trigger to double down on deciding not to smoke
I’m now a year in off of vaping and cigarettes. It’s still sometimes hard, but mostly I don’t think about it, except to be glad I don’t need to go for a smoke. I don’t miss things at parties anymore. I don’t miss moments with my daughter. Plane rides are way easier.
It’s the solution on the user experience side, but not the backend/server side. For both infrastructure and idealogical reasons. These two things don’t have to be the same.
Disney parks wants park visitors to feel like their exploring, but design in such a way that thepy don’t actually stray that far from the preferred paths. Also they have clear sign posting.
There’s no reason the fediverse can’t design the opposite. Helping users into feeling like there’s a set path, and that they’re doing the right thing, while subtly encouraging exploration.
It’s just the opposite of where all talent and techniques of internet software design are right now, so it’s going to take some work.
Edit: Most people don’t jump into a hedge to get off the main road, they find a small, unplanned trail or desire path, then learn to navigate the jungle when that path ends.