To back Tweety up a little, it was kind of drilled into our heads that (and I think Einstein said it) the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over yet expect a different result. Or something like that.
If cold turkey aint working, and never has, then why not try something else? What's there to lose?
But... if the patch and gum system doesn't work either, it's time to look a bit deeper.
The patch, or methadone, or whatever else... is to let ya down easy. Because there's a healthy amount of fear wrapped up in quitting anything. And at the very least, these things can be enough to bring your head around to the possibility of trying, whereas cold turkey can keep some folks on the streets or continue to be life-long smokers.
Definitely cold turkey is the best. There's no question. But if that aint gonna bring you to the table, you might as well try something else.
Just thought about it. Tomorrow marks my one year anniversary of being released from treatment. Tonight marks my one year anniversary of the last day working on the soup lines, 6 hours of counseling, an NA or AA meeting, sleeping on some 5hitty little cot, and saying bye to some really amazing people.