I smoked for 5 or 6 years, at times up to two packs a day. I tried vapes, gum, patch, chew, herbal cigs, pretty much everything I could to get off them, but all the nicotine replacers did for me was keep me addicted and then I'd cave and buy a pack when I was drunk.
Ended up quitting cold turkey for a bet, but I mostly just REALLY wanted to quit. I got lucky and got a nasty flu the day that the bet started, and I also got drunk and smoked a LOT the night before quitting. Being sick definitely helped the first couple days, and I also stayed off booze for the first 2 or 3 months because I knew I would definitely smoke if I got drunk.
Then after a month or two it was just breaking the habits that were the toughest - first smoke of the day with a coffee, sitting in traffic, filming skating, any time I'm bored, etc, but it was basically just mind over matter. The first time drinking heavily was the hardest, for sure, but if you can get through those first couple months, it does get easier.
I slipped up towards the beginning a couple of times, had a few cigs here and there that lead back to full time smoking for a few months, then quit again. I also got hooked on vapes at the start of the pandemic (after years with 0 nicotine) which was just as difficult to quit, so I wouldn't recommend that one at all.
Top tips would be to just try to quit cold turkey (no matter what your mind tells you, it IS possible), don't be hard on yourself if you do end up failing to quit (just try again!), and just try keep busy whenever you're really craving. It is hard as fuck to quit, and the temptation never really goes away, but stay with it and it is possible. ~2 years off vaping and ~6 years off cigarettes for me.