If you have never smoked yourself, they you do NOT know how difficult it can be. Knowing "several" people means nothing, you are still ignorant.
Visit one of the many stop smoking forums out there on the net and and read about the experiences of
millions of people who are in the process of quitting. It's really the best way to educate yourself other than to start smoking yourself, smoke for years, then try to quit.
Machinehead - Good link. I've been to that site before as well when I first quit, which was cold turkey. It always amuses me how the tobacco companies say nicotine is not addictive. They also don't even mention the OTHER addictive and harmful ingredients that are in ciggarettes, which if you look them up, is quite disturbing!