I think the key is that you have to WANT to do it. I just wish I could have put Jon (and all smokers, come to that) inside my mother's body for a while so he could see what it felt like to gasp your way through each day.
It wasn't just her - when I was in the UK I worked in a hospital and one of the clinics I was involved with was the Chest Clinic. I used to see the patients struggling in every Thursday afternoon and practically collapsing at the counter where I was waiting to book them in. I often had to wait a while for them to get their breath back before they could even give me their name. I could also hear Dr. Cotton yelling at patients who admitted to still smoking 'I will not tolerate smokers in MY clinic!! What's the point in trying to patch them up when they're busy undoing all my good work?' She was right, too
.
People who are trying to give up smoking seem to be at their weakest when they're under stress and that's when they feel the need for a ciggie the most. Perhaps finding something else that will stand instead of that as a prop would be more ideal. That's all ciggies are - a prop - and our bodies don't need them at all, apart from that.