Smoking and attractiveness

I’m trying to quit smoking, but I’m struggling with something that makes it harder.

Over the years I developed a strong psychological association between smoking and arousal. Seeing other guys smoke or even the idea of smoking can trigger that response for me, which makes quitting much more difficult.

Whenever I feel stressed or experience strong emotions (positive or negative), I sometimes fall into a pattern where I watch videos of people smoking, smoke myself, and use it as a way to cope with those feelings. Afterwards I usually feel a lot of shame and regret.

Part of what makes it complicated is that the “loss of control” aspect of smoking is something my brain learned to associate with excitement. I also sometimes end up browsing smoking-related communities where people share videos and encourage each other to smoke more, which reinforces the habit.

I really want to quit smoking and build healthier ways to deal with stress and emotions, but breaking this learned association has been difficult.

Has anyone dealt with something similar or found strategies that helped them break a strong mental association with smoking?