People who try to stop smoking all at once are faced with withdrawal symptoms. When you smoke you inhale; that in turn puts nicotine into your lungs that is carried to your blood stream. The blood stream then carries the nicotine to your brain. Each time you light a cigarette the brain tells you that it needs more nicotine. So after awhile you are smoking more and more to keep up with the nicotine that your body needs. This is called dependency.

As with any dependency your body goes through a period of withdrawal when you quit smoking. You may have one or all of these symptoms: depression, insomnia, irritability, and loss of sleep to name a few.

A nicotine patch may be prescribed by a doctor. Keep in mind the patch like a drug, has conditions for it to work. Like anything else, it also may have some side effects like headaches, nausea, and stomach pain.

The patch reduces craving, however; the nicotine patches does not completely eliminate your cravings. Smoking carries with it some physical and mental effects on one's person, and some aspects cannot be handled by nicotine patches.

Talk to your doctor about the patch and other ways to quit smoking. There is no pill or patch that can make you stop smoking. There are aids to help, but in order to stop smoking you have to want to.