cold turkey works for some people but it sure as hell doesn't for others, when I try cold turkey I get very very moody and agitated and I start arguments with everyone around me, I guess those symptoms would be only for a few days but the state I get in would be untenable even for 48hrs.
I very successfully gave up for about 3 years using Zyban but then broke up with a long term girlfriend and went back to it and ever since then I've been yoyo'ing between smoking and not, I tried Zyban again but this time it gave me very bad thoughts (bearing in mind it's essentially an antidepressant) but I did kick it for a while again, started back after about 4 months for really no reason, that was last February and I've thus since gone through stages of heavy smoking (well, for me heavy being 15 a day), light smoking (3-5 a day) and not smoking for a week or two. Currently have switched the rollies, the thought of regular cigarettes is vile so thats something I guess, on about 9 per day.
Patches worked OK for me, certainly stopping the whole shout at everyone business, but there was nothing to take the edge off the impulse. Niquitin mini's (little mini mint types things you disolve in your mouth..cherry is best) also worked well but they are a case of have one when you feel like it, so often I would have a cigarette rather than a mini.
So I devised a plan of having the lowest dose of patch (7mg) then topping up with the minis up to 6 a day (you are allowed up to 15 but my intake via smoking was about 14mg a day so it worked out the same) and reducing the amount I had per day, I got down to no patch and about 3 minis a day but I ended up with a pack of tobacco and papers in my hands and it went from there again, that was about..2 weeks ago..*sigh*