Interesting. I started smoking despite knowing what was wrong with it (my grandfather died of lung cancer). At the time, I was battling depression and a drug habit. I made many changes in my life to get out of that pit; unfortunately cigarettes were one of them. So it struck me that smoking can't be all that bad, since it helped me pick my life back together.
Now, I'm clean of smoking too - by slowly cutting down the habit to 2/day and then drinking a glass of water whenever I crave a cigarette. I haven't had any nicotine in 4 months or so.
To whoever's reading this - if you have any addictions taking over you, remember that all is not lost. You can still get out of it. There isn't a one-size-fits-all technique, but there is always a technique. Find it and achieve it.