I am currently using Niquitin clear patches and I have to say they are helping immensely. I have never gotten past day 2 with willpower alone. Now I am well into my 4th week and am finding it relatively easy going. Perhaps it is having a placebo effect, but it certainly is taking the edge off any cravings.

DB "smoke-free warrior"

I have been using nicotine replacement patches for eight weeks now and have found them extremely helpful. I have not had any cravings.

At the moment you can get 12 weeks of patches for the price of two prescriptions (approx £15).

Look for pharmacies that are offering the stop smoking service. You will need to visit them once a week to have your carbon monoxide level checked and then be given your patches for the week.

I would recommend them but you do need to want to quit in order for success. GOOD LUCK!

I have used patches several times and they have helped but not long term. The longest I lasted was 6 months with 4 months not using them. I fell by the wayside on holiday with a friend that smoked - too much temptation.

That was a good few years ago when patches first came out and they stuck so hard that you were left with black rings all over your body. I've tried various brands since but find that they sometimes fall off while I'm at work and as I work in a shop that sells cigs they are there to tempt me.

Worked well for me previously and I'm using them at the moment. The only thing is if you use 24 hour patches, you may find you get 2 or 3 nights weird dreams. 24 hr patches are designed for those that tend to smoke within an hour of waking in the morning.

I heard so many people fail using these, that I have been reluctant to use them myself for that same reason.

What have you got to lose? If you use them and go back to smoking you are no worse off than you are now.

Remember though, the patches won't make you quit alone. You will still need to keep your resolve, they just may help you to keep it.

Good luck!

I've been using a mixture of patches and electronic cigarettes. I started off with e cigs but broke mine after a couple of weeks and dug out a box of patches from a previous stop smoking attempt. Got my e cig fixed after 5 days but now I use that for a few days and patches for a few days. I feel that by using both I have effortlessly got out of habits and I'm not tempted to buy cigarettes because I have the e cigarettes.

I wouldn't use 24 hour patches because I never smoked in bed. Once forgot to take a patch off and in the morning I felt lousy, felt like I'd overdosed.

I'm going to give the e-cigs a go. I waste too much time each day taking a break for a cigarette