Hi All
I know there are 10,000 books and articles out there telling you how to quit....I'm not in a position to tell you which way is best for you but I can tell you from experience what worked for me (I'll be 13 weeks clear on Wednesday this week).
1. Get rid of all the nicotine in your house/car/garage etc....for the first week the temptation of having it to hand makes quitting that much harder.
2. Plan to not drink any booze and avoid places where others are smoking or drinking. Drinking reduces your inhibitions and makes it more likely you'll smoke.
3. Make sure you eat and drink well - do NOT worry about putting on a bit of weight....it's far easier to lose that later. Try to stick to 'clean' foods, fruit juices and lots and lots and lots of room water.
4. When you go out to do your shopping try to avoid the queues that also sell cigarettes.
5. It takes 72 hours for the nicotine to flush out of your system and you'll feel bad for the first week (chemical withdrawal). After this it gets a lot easier.
6. Even taking a single drag of a single cigarette starts the withdrawal in the worst way from the start again.
7. What I did was every time I got an urge to smoke I drank lots of room temperature water (too much chilled water gives you stomach cramps) and got on my rowing machine for 30 minutes and 'worked it through'.
I've now been totally nicotine free for almost 13 weeks and don't get cravings anymore. I feel a lot better and have noticed I can smell things again.
I think the best recent moment was when the 5 year old daughter of a family friend (who's blond and quite cherubic) said the other day I don't smell 'ickie' anymore....made my day.
If you REALLY want to quit it's quite simple and up to you, some very simple things will make your quitting much easier.
Regards and good luck.