My mom is quitting. It's been several months since her last cigarette. She went cold turkey since the medication, patch, etc. made her feel extremely sick. She had the early signs of emphysema, so the doctor basically told her you can quit, or you can slowly die a painful death. Now that's motivation.
What she has been doing is putting the money she'd normally spend on cigarettes in a jar. With that money, she's been able to reward herself with nice little camping trips and a new outfit that she wouldn't have normally been able to afford. She said she was shocked at how much money was going into the jar, that she had no idea there was that much she could have been spending on more enjoyable things. I guess you don't think about it until it starts piling up before your eyes.
Oh, I forgot . . . she also told me she set goals for herself that she has to reach before she can touch that money, like no smoking for a certain time increments. And if she backslides at all, she has to take that money and find something practical and not fun to spend it on, like bills, and start again from scratch. She hasn't cheated at all, and her perpetual cough completely went away after only a month! Sorry if I sound like I'm bragging, I'm just so happy for her, and it makes me feel encouraged for everyone else with a desire to quit. If there ever was a woman who had been determined to go to her grave smoking, it was my mother. She's never been able to go longer than a week before, and now it's been over five months for her.
Good luck, and hopefully a healthier future, to you.