Because it is such a longstanding habit, it seems like unless you find something interesting and more absorbing to replace it with, simply "abstaining" is not going to work long term. If you are serious that this addiction is ruining your life (or breaking some women's hearts, which is certainly unkind) you should probably see a therapist rather than simply trying to guts this out on your own. All addictions are hard to pull away from, you could use all the help you can get since it is something you have done for a long time.