I quit cold turkey. I smoked for 25 years and tried everything to quit for 20 of those years. The only way I was able to quit was to just find the inner strength to never pick up another cigarette. You really have to commit not so much to quitting, but to NEVER picking up another cigarette. I still tell myself “If I pick up that cigarette, I am a smoker”. The thought of having to quit again keeps me from picking it up. This has worked for me for the past 13 years now. Hope this helps.
I use Equate Nicotine gum, chew 3-4 pieces a day. I have now been a non-smoker for almost two years. Best thing I ever did.