Improve Your Quit Percentages
Your chance of quitting depend upon how addicted you are, your depth of motivation to quit and how closely you follow a quit program. I have read that the physical withdrawals peak in 3 days time and decline over the next several weeks, and for some, the next several months. We can assume that withdrawal symptoms will last at least 4 weeks to perhaps 4 to 6 months. This is part why we slip.
If you can afford to use an NRT it helps reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Whether or not you use an NRT, cutting back before you quit helps reduce your addiction, and helps with your quit discipline (practice, practice, practice). Itemizing your triggers along with an individual coping technique for each, and deliberately switching your focus off of smoking onto others things will get you headed down the road to recovery.
Just remember we did not get addicted to smoking overnight. It will take some time to get that smoking notion to go away, and YES it does go away.