With reference to someone trying to break an addiction, what is a word that properly means to stop the behavior? While "break" and "kick" would be understood, they are more informal than desired. "Stop" gives a connotation of something that is easy to do, which is not what I want to convey.
Synonyms – Proper Alternatives to Stop, Break, or Kick an Addiction
phraseologysynonyms
Best Answer
Words like suppress and fight suggest more of a struggle against a certain behaviour, like in the case of addiction.
Also, overcome is a word commonly used to represent "kicking" an addiction.
e.g:
or
(Links to OED definitions)