For those of you that are getting all haughty, and throwing around the "I'm stronger than you" bullsh!t, blow it out your ass. You obviously have never known a REAL addiction.
Different people metabolize chemicals differently, and as such, different people experience different 'levels' of addiction. I used to smoke 2 packs of reds a day. When I joined the Army, we weren't allowed any nicotine during BASIC, and I was literally starving to death. I had the shakes so bad people thought I was epileptic (literally, they sent me to sick call) and I couldn't get the food from the plate to my mouth. Eventually, the drill Sergeant ordered me to go have a cigarette so I could just function.
Since then, I've cut down my smoking dramatically. It's what I need to do for my particular body type. I'm now down to just cheating an occasional Marlboro Light when I have a drink.
Quitting is all about determination, and for some people, certain games are necessary. My personal favorite trick was to put a dollar in a jar for every cigarette that I smoked. At the end of the month, I sent that money to PETA (an organization that I absolutely LOATHE).
Needless to say, the shakes aren't NEARLY as bad anymore. My body has learned that it's GOING to be starved of the nicotine, and little by little, it's dropping its dependency on it. The problem is, if you decide to 'cheat' one day, and you go 5 months without a single cigarette, then have a pack in one day, your body IMMEDIATELY jumps back up to the peak level that you've just had, so you're basically starting all over. If you're going to cheat (and face it, in the beginning, there's an 80% chance that you will) be SURE that you cheat in moderation. One or two, then give yourself a few days to get back down to the level you were at before. Your dependency level is a LOT like your weight. Real easy to get up, but takes forever to get it back down.
You WILL need an outlet to replace the cigarettes, though. I started with food, and gained 25 lbs. So I tried to switch to just candy, and got 2 cavities (currently need a root canal.) Now I'm trying tea, and lots of excercise. (Not nearly as fulfilling, but less damaging.
Good luck! I wish you the best, because I KNOW how hard it really can be. Fvck the assholes that don't know what addiction means.
-Javin