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I quit smoking in January. I was never a heavy smoker, maybe 3-5 cigarettes a day, but the health affects were obvious and most of the time I can be a very active person, jogging and walking and being outside constantly and I could feel it during these activities. I have quit a few times. every time I restarted, I would go back to it after about the 3 month period, making up some excuse, and it was usually when I was depressed and had a fuck it type of attitude. I tried replacing cigarettes with lolipops, carrots, plain old chewing gum and exercise. The best combination was when I replaced it with chewing gum, and exercised like a crazy person. The gum replaces the oral fixation, and the exercise boosts your mood and makes it so that your body feels intolerant toward smoking. Imagine jogging a few miles and then smoking a cigarette. It feels fucking disgusting. I have now been off cigarettes since January, and do not feel any cravings anymore. The closest I get is when I am drinking. I smoked one when I was pretty drunk at a concert, a couple of months ago. That was my only relapse, and I didn't crave any after that. So, I think past the 6 month point you're probably pretty solidly a non-smoker again.
Other tips I have heard included brushing your teeth every time you want to smoke, and this will create a cognitive dissonance between the cleanness of your mouth and the dirty cigarette. I tried this and it worked ok in conjunction with the others.
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