I smoked 20 Marlboro, or more, per day for 20 years.
I quit smoking 9 years before I quit drinking.
I was able to do this at my wife's request (insistence).
I used nicotine chewing gum to get over the cravings.
I had a few brief relapses when I worked with smokers, but was able to put it down again, quickly.
When it came to alcohol, there didn't seem to be a way that I could stop drinking without help.
To be honest, I didn't really want to stop.
Our marriage very nearly ended before I decided to go to AA and get some help.
Thankfully, I haven't had a relapse, yet.