Exactly right - quitting is really not hard once you have *really* made the decision that you want to stop. Once that decision is made, you 'just do it'.

On a side note I think the same applies to other things like alcohol too. If you need to switch to a dependency on 12-step meetings (aka God) or whatever, you haven't really made the decision.

Gaining some weight after quitting is likely to happen to those who (consciously or subconsciously) convince themselves they are so dependent that they need to replace the cigs with something else. If you do take that route, it's wise to choose a healthy food that won't pile on the weight. For example, I know someone who used fresh strawberries and it worked wonders for her.