i used nicotine gum to help with the withdrawal symptoms. i also bought a crap load of straws (3,000 at sams club) and when i got a strong urge, i cut the straws in half then peeled the papers off them. i chewed straws, i had starlight mints, i did a lot of reading, i surfed the web looking for anti smoking ads, commercials, pics etc., i set up a slideshow on my computer (of the pics i found), i spent more time with my step-son and pets, i played video/computer games, i called my mom for the encouragement and praise to keep going, i did jigsaw puzzles, word search, crosswords, i even poured ketchup on clean dishes to have some to wash. hey, if it works do it, right? i just kept busy doing things i love to do. i also slept a lot. when i got to the crying point, i took a nap. i been quit 6 months 1 week and 2 days.