Ask your doctor about Zyban, I have been on the programme for four weeks now and the craving has been very easy to handle. I tried to give up before using nicotine chewing gum, unsuccessfully!! I can't see me going back to cigs' again.
after smoking at least 10 a day for the past 8 years i have given up smoking. i don't agree with the idea of patches or gums - the idea is to break the habit and not to replace it with an alternative. i've friends who have had bad responses to zyban the drug also with symptoms of breaking out in hives. The best thing to do is just stop. Set a day and keep yourself busy. The hardest time for me is in the evening after a meal. I've started to spend more time painting my nails or pampering myself just to make it more difficult to think about what i'd be doing with my "smoking hand" otherwise!!! Good luck, i'm sure you'll be fine. And it is sooo worth it if you want to give up.