You don't need a patch if you really want to quit. Just don't smoke. I started in the Army and smoked heavily for 18 years. Knew I had to quit. Got up one Saturday and decided to see how long I could go without a smoke. Hard day! Sunday was worse. Thought I was wearing someone else's skin inside out. Monday was a whole lot better and I was pretty sure I could do it. Tuesday was so much better that I knew it was over. It takes about three days to get the nicotine out of your system.
A couple of tips. Don't drink for a while and stay out of bars for a while longer. You need to break old social habits and that takes some time. Last tip. You're an AR guy, not a blissninny, so you can't claim to be a "victim". You *CAN* do it . If you don't, it's not because you can't but because you choose not to. Good luck. Besides, we need to outlive the bastards.