My husband and I quit "cold turkey" almost four years ago. What we did was set a date a few months in advance (we chose 1 February because it was after the holidays and our birthdays). The date was nonnegotiable; it didn't matter what stressors popped up on or around the date (and believe me, they did) it was set in stone.
After we set the date, we slowly began changing our habits in advance of that date. The two biggest changes we made were to stop smoking in the house (had it painted, cleaned, etc), and cut back smoking in our cars.
We wrote up/signed a contract (formal, I know, but it kept us accountable) stating when we were quitting, if we had urges we would call one another before we acted, and that if we slipped up we would be honest about it.
On the night of 31 January, we had our last cigarettes, ran the remainder of the pack under water and threw them away. Neither of us have smoked since. There were days when my husband had to talk me off the proverbial ledge, and vice versa, but we always talked it through and never gave in.
The hardest thing about quitting was how to fill the time when I was used to smoking. For instance, taking breaks from working/school were hard because I used cigarettes as a way to unwind/reward myself. I started taking 15 minute walks instead which really helped. I'm not much of a gum/candy person, so I chewed on straws (probably looked strange, but it worked for me). I took the money we would have spend on cigarettes and put it towards Pilates classes, which I still do to this day. Using the money for something that helps my body rather than damages it was a good motivator for me to continue.
I found having someone to quit with to be very beneficial but it can be a double edge sword. I've had friends try to quit together unsuccessfully because one was more motivated than the other and/or used the other's failure to quit as an excuse to sabotage their own progress.
I think it's important to remember that the physical addition only last about 72 hours, and everything after that is mind over matter. I've had numerous friends try to quit with varying degrees of success. The ones who quit and have kept it up were the ones who quit "cold turkey" without patches, gum, etc.
Best of luck
