I really don't suggest the patch. All that does is put nicotine in your system all day and night long. I tried it once for a half hour and was sick as a dog, and I was a heavy smoker 2 packs a day of Kool Kings so I had not only nicotine to fight but menthol also. I think I was more addicted to the menthol than the nicotine.

To quit cold turkey is a bitch but do-able. First you must identify when and why you smoke. When I could smoke anytime I wanted, I often went hours withour smoking if I got busy. I was down to less than a pack a day. When the company went non-smoking and I had to take a hike to smoke, I could tell time by when I needed a cigarette. I found that I smoked 1) when I relaxed, like end of day or after meal and 2) when I stressed. You need to try to find something else to subsitute at these times. Many people eat. I suggest take a walk, get a backrub, curse, scream, all of the above, etc.

I was never able to quit until I was diagnosed with cancer and then quit cold turkey. It was quite a motivator. I was a bitch for several months. Husband still smoked. This meant that after several months of non-smoking and not missing it, I started by having 1 cigarette a week. After several months of that, it became 1 cig a day, when I relaxed at the end of the day. Well that was 1 too many and 3 years later I had cancer again and had to have a total larygectomy. That surgery is a real motivator. Walking around with ahole in your neck to allow you to breath will make you quit real quick unless you have a intense desire for a quick case of lung cancer.

Haven't had a cig in 3 years. Don't miss it 99.9% of the time. Can't stand the smell and husband is still smoking but mostly out of the house. After all you father went through, I would think you could do this, especially if you also drink. The odds of getting this cancer are just too high to fool around with smoking any more.

Please try to do this for yourself. You can rant and rave here. Good luck.

Eileen