Ideas	Voting results and bounty paid	Comments

avoid the habit and reward yourself, otherwise punish yourself when the habit happens.
Suggested by Troy

the more you make yourself aware to it and make others (friends/family/coworkers) aware of it the more inclined you will be to stop.
Suggested by Troy

get rid of a habit by starting a new one!
Suggested by Troy

We are creatures of habit. If you want to stop biting your nails las an example...you have to put notes up all around the house, put reminders, and remember there is a reason why you are trying to quit and do something different
Suggested by Lamar

a new pet may be all you need to keep you busy and keep your mind off of your old habit. .
Suggested by Eric

There are plenty of ways to distract yourself from the old habit. . i.e. smokers can start chewing gum or sunflower seeds
Suggested by Eric

Find someone who you strongly dislike who has the same habit. . Train yourself not to be like this person who has such an unattractive habit.
Suggested by Eric

Some examples are gardening projects where you can't stop in the middle or stripping popcorn off ceilings. You need a project that once started must be completed in a specific amount of time and something that you are very motivated to get done. Needless to say, cigarettes or nicotine substitutes must be completely unavailable. The physical exertion makes you not think about smoking. The dirt prevents you from taking a break to find a smoke and accomplishing the project is your reward. At the end of the day you will be so exhausted that you will fall into bed. The physical exertion helps with the bad mood and aggression. Some people will need a project that lasts several days until the physical craving wanes. I happen to think "tapering off" or nocotine patches just prolong the agony. The biggest problem after the physical addiction wanes is the psychological addiction which takes other techniiques to break.
Suggested by Nancy

you know its true
Suggested by Carol

Depending on the habit, maybe place a dollar in a jar or box for every day you don't do the habit and take one out and give to someone else or a charity when you do. Turn your behavior into something that can benefit you or at least help someone else and motivate you to work harder to change it. Also maybe its a dollar for NOT doing it and only .25 when you consciously acknowledge you are in the midst of doing it and you stop. Work hard, set a goal and window of time and track your progress. Share your process with friends and family as appropriate so they can help keep you motivated and accountable.
Suggested by Victor

once you catch yourself doing it try not to
Suggested by Carol

lets say you want to stop smoking you cant smoke if your going paintballing or riding in a go cart
Suggested by Carol

Depending on the habit and the severity, set-up a reward that can be used as motivation. The more days, hours, etc.. you refrain from the habit you are working to change the closer you get to your reward. Perhaps having someone else set-up the reward will assist with accountability and focus.
Suggested by Victor

Have friends and family record you doing it and watch yourself. Depending on the habit, it may motivate you to work on changing it and perhaps shed some insights on other aspects worthy to evaluate and consider modifying.
Suggested by Victor

It's never too early to start!
Suggested by Scott

Take up cooking, knitting, tobacco, or anything that keeps you busy for a little while. Do this instead of your old habit.
Suggested by Josh

Many people have annoying speech habits when they speak in front of groups or sometimes just speaking with colleagues. "um, you know, yea but" are just a few examples. To rid yourself of one of these speech habits you need to focus on what you are about to say and have some substitutes ready. Practice with friends and enlist their help by having them give a subtle signal when you slip. Breaking this type of habit takes concentration.
Suggested by Nancy

For any habit related to your digestion, whether it be eating, drinking, etc, I recommend a 7 day cleanse. Not only is it good for you health, it will force you to 7 days of not doing that which is bad for you and when you come out of it, you are less likely to return. Great fro breaking caffeine, soda, or artifical sweetner habits!
Suggested by John

Over-indulge to the point that it makes you ill to even think of doing what ever it is that you're trying to stop. Unless its narcotics and alchohol. I don't condone over-dosing. But it sure works for giving up candy....and cat-tossing.
Suggested by hyuma

Hypnotist: "You don't like smoking..." Any questions? That, or find a Jedi. I hear they work wonders with mind control.
Suggested by hyuma

classic support group. But try it for any habit. If it's giving up pimple-popping or chocolate, get a bunch of people who are trying to kick the same habit and go bowling together. unless you're trying to give up bowling... anyway. distract each other, provide tips share ideas and end your cat-tossing tendencies
Suggested by hyuma

It is much harder to simply give something up than to replace it with something else. With nothing to replace it, your mind dwells on what you have given up. Replacing it with something else allows your mind to focus on the positive instead of the negative of what you gave up.
Suggested by Randy