Hi Twisted,
I've been trying to quit smoking for 4 months. I use to smoke about 20 a day but I haven't smoked more than 5 in one day for the 4 months.
Today, I've gone without any-which sometimes happens when I run out of "emergency" smokes and I avoid going to the store so I don't accidently pick up any, forgetting I'm trying to quit. (It's my excuse when I buy them.)
It's really tough, Twisted, and you'll probably gain some weight. The nicorette gum and the patch didn't work for me. I take it 5 minutes at a time. When I am craving one and the situation isn't really stressful-I try to hold off for another 5 minutes and a lot of times it works when I find something else to busy myself with and before I know it, it's been an hour.
I smoke the cigarettes in a designated area. I do not allow myself to smoke anywhere but there and I try to make it a place that's not too comfortable. My area is in my small bathroom. When I do smoke I only allow myself to take no more then a couple of puffs and then I force myself to put it out. I butt the cigarette and save it for my next craving. The cigarette lasts a lot longer this way and it's gotten to the point where, most the time, even if I did allow myself to smoke a whole cigarette at one time, I couldn't. It starts to make me sick once I get to the half way mark.
I hope this helps a little.
Good luck. And remember, you're going to mess up but don't use that as an excuse to ditch trying to quit altogether. Just know that you'll do better next time.
(((Twisted)))))