Originally Posted by
AlericB 
A friend's mum does something similar and carries a packet of 10 in her handbag even though she hasn't smoked for 30+ years.
I wouldn't do that myself and not just because I don't usually carry a handbag but I see why she does it which is to carry a reminder that quitting is a choice and not a deprivation.
I would “see why she does it” quite differently, which is that possessing cigarettes has zero effect upon her life as a non-smoker since the pledge of permanent abstinence was made, however long ago.