Chopticks? How does he get the first one out of a fresh pack? That's talent.
They've done studies in Israel and it seems to work well (I don't have the info off hand) It's definitely easier to convince someone not to stay than it is to convince then to quit.
There are studies done (Dan Arielly) on Orthodox Jews about how they can withhold cigarette temptations on Shabbos. In essence his thesis was that the concept of a higher authority making it forbidden was enough to create a psychological barrier that could trump the physical temptation. This (is what he ascribed) enabled the smokers in his test group to consistently withstand smoking on Shabbos despite having minimal success not smoking on any other day. It's probably why those who never start are typically very adamant how assur it is and those who've started can name dozens of Poskim that say it's mutar (not judging just stating my view)
What I find interesting is that the chopstick video serves to prove this point. Here is a guy that for two years is bending over backward when having a smoke because he justifies not lying to his parents (and that it isn't harmful?).
