Another "accidental quitter" here. Or, at least on the way. Still keeping a pack of Marlboros on hand, and not feeling a bit guilty about it.
You need to go into this with the right attitude. This may sound bass ackwards, but I'm of the opinion that if you want to successfully quit smoking, you absolutely must give yourself permission to smoke guilt free. Let me explain....
For around 27 years I smoked 2 packs a day (sometimes more). That's 40 cigarettes. Yesterday I smoked 6.
If I focus on the 6 that I smoked, that produces an attitude of failure, which will eventually lead to "Ah, screw it, this isn't working".
However, by focusing on the 34 that I didn't smoke, that's a major win, and makes it simple to maintain a positive attitude and motivation to keep going.
Same exact events, two ways of looking at them, with two greatly different likely outcomes.
Plus, in the past if I ran out of smokes I would have a nearly full blown panic attack. Everything got put on hold while I ran to the store to buy smokes (and on one occasion walked just over a mile in a blizzard to get some). Yet on many, many occasions once I got back home I'd go to light up an hour or two later and realize that the pack of cigarettes that I was so desperate to have in my possession was still sitting unopened. The knowledge that I had none available produced some of the strongest cravings I've ever experienced, but once comforted by having them close by I didn't actually smoke one for a good length of time, without even thinking about it.
Again, sounds backwards, but I have a much easier time not smoking when I have a pack close at hand.
tobacco is physically addictive, and powerfully so. But the mental game is equally, if not more, important.