Some of us get addicted to it, some don't. I was lucky, smoked on and off for about 20 years, than packed it in, no problem. Just stopped.

On occasion I'd had a smoke since then, maybe three or four in a year, and never felt the least inclination to get back into doing it as a regular thing.

It's not a question of me having willpower. I just didn't have the addiction. And I think there are people who are probably the same way, but they get a bit overwhelmed by assuming it's going to be a big deal giving up, and they keep smoking. (And I know for a lot of people it really is a big deal and an uphill struggle, and good luck.)

One thing that surprises me is that so few people seem to think of sticking with the nicotine, but dumping the smoking. I don't mean gum and patches and all that modern high tech stuff, but the version of tobacco that used to be far far more popular than smoking - snuff. (I've tried that on the odd occasion - mind, you get some funny looks...)