My advice would be to get the Nicotene out of your system as soon as possible - that means either cold turkey or prescription drugs (Chantax seems to be particularly good from what I've heard). In my view, the patch does things backwards.
The longer you keep the Nicotene in your system, the harder it will be to break the mental part of the habit. Keep in mind that Nicotene only stays in your system for about 72 hours. Once it's gone, the addiction is all in your head and should be more tolerable to manage.
They way I did it? Cold turkey. It's very hard, but you just need to keep in mind that the suffering will lessen once you get past that first 72 hours. In particular, I started drinking bottled water and still went out on smoke breaks at work (albeit without smoking). At break times, I'd grab a bottle of water, go out and hang out with the smokers and drink that whole bottle down. It helped a lot, even kept the weight gain minimal since I wasn't as hungry being well hydrated.
It's easier said then done and it's different for everyone. But read up on how Nicotene impacts the body and understand what you're going to go through BEFORE you start, so you know exactly what to expect.
And if you have to pay for a Chantax prescription, keep in mind that $50/month might even be less than you're paying for cigarettes now.