I had my first cigarette when i was 16 and I'm still a smoker 25 years later. I've tried to stop a thousand times. When I got my first job, I stopped for two weeks. When I was pregnant with my daughter i gave up smoking, but the week after she was born, I started again. I pretend that smoking reduces stress and that i do it to keep my weight down. Really, though, I know that for me giving up smoking will be a lifelong battle.