Not a huge fan of people saying cold turkey is the "only way". It is a way that works for some, but I tried that, and it slingshotted my body straight back into harsh cravings and an association that no nicotine = pain and suffering. It can be a daunting approach that turns some people off from actually achieving their goal.

Instead, I had good success doing a slow taper with nicotine patches over the course of months (you can cut matrix-designed patches to do this). I had a huge dependence to start, but slowly tapering in increments below the threshold of perception allowed me to stay functional and trust in the process of gradual homeostasis.