Quit smoking?

I want to quit so bad. For me, it is really hard. My husband knows I want to quit really bad. He came home with some Nicorette gum. He said he heard that the patches have long term affects of some kind. The gum has nicotine in it. How is that going to work when it has nicotine. Cigarettes have nicotine. I’m trying to not have nicotine in my body. Why is it so hard for me?