In a very strange way to be perfectly honest.

I had a cough that was constant. Not just a smokers cough; this cough was constant and was wearing me out. I could not smoke a cigarette. I tried to smoke but I could not inhale as it ripped my insides out and made me 10 times worse.
Each day was as bad as the first and each day I tried to have a cigarette; such was my weak will and my attitude of "I will have a smoke."
Each time I tried, I felt ill, so I decided I wouldn't smoke until my cough was better. It lasted for about a month and before I knew it, I'd been a non-smoker for nearly a full month.
Once my cough subsided, I found that my smokers cough went with it, due to my smoke free month.

Now here's the key.
My son once said to me. "dad.... if you had the opportunity to give up smoking would you take it?" I promised him that if ever there was a chance that I could give up without the horrible turmoil that went with it, like a feeling of being robbed of my leisure or irritation in terms of bad temperedness, then I would take it and not look back.

The cough gave me that chance. A chance that I honestly thought would never come. I had the month away from smoking and I had the chance to resume where I left off. I declined and gave my cigarettes away, as well as ashtrays and lighters, plus tobacco tins and so on, to anyone who wanted them.

Every day I awoke from then, I wanted a smoke. It was strong at first but I fought it off, as it only lasted 5 minutes.
What I did get, was an appetite.

To be continued....