Seconding the comment above about wanting to quit. I smoked a pack a day for years and tried to stop a few times because someone else wanted me to: it didn't work. But one day I realized that smoking made me feel like garbage. I had headaches, I was tired, I couldn't do anything without feeling weak and out of breath. When I realized that having a cigarette had stopped feeling like a reward or a treat, and that it actually tasted bad...that was when I knew I was ready.

The physical cravings won't last long. Mine were gone in a couple days, but yes, I used gum to help for those first few. The mental ones are a little harder, especially if you have a routine that you associate with smoking. It took years for me to stop reaching for my purse when I got in my car. Weirdly enough, I took up cycling to help me get over any temptation to start smoking again. It worked.