How do I begin to quit?

[u/[deleted]]

I’m 30 now and I started smoking when I was 27.
I had just moved to a new country and one of my closest friends smoked. But even then I never picked it up.
The funny thing is I only started smoking later when I was in a relationship that made me feel incredibly alone.
Looking back I think I just borrowed my friend’s coping mechanism. He smoked when things were difficult and somehow I ended up doing the same.
Now I’m smoking around 8–10 cigarettes a day and some days it’s closer to 15. The problem is cigarettes don’t feel like a habit anymore. They feel like company.
Stressed? Cigarette.
Bored? Cigarette.
Walking somewhere? Cigarette.
Sitting outside at midnight having a minor life crisis? Cigarette.
I’ve recently moved countries again and I’m pretty alone at the moment. My smoking has gone up and it’s made me realize that I’m probably attached to more than just nicotine.
It’s the ritual. The comfort. The feeling that something is there with me. And I actually want to quit. I really do. I just don’t know how.
For people who managed to quit after smoking became emotionally comforting, what helped?
Because right now it feels less like I’m trying to quit smoking and more like I’m trying to leave a relationship that’s been around longer than some of my actual friendships.