Ever since I was little, I knew I never wanted to smoke. My grandfather, the relative I was closest with as a kid, died from lung cancer after smoking the majority of his life. Seeing him suffer so badly and seeing my family members suffer along with him when I was so young made up my mind for me.
Even though I made that decision for myself, I do believe it's up to every individual to make up his or her own decision about smoking. In the past, friends who have smoked respected my sensitivity to the cigarette smell (I get nauseous) and have kindly stepped away from me while smoking. At the same time, I never complained about their smoking habits or asked them to stop. I respect others as much as they respect me. ^_^
The only person I've influenced enough to stop smoking was my husband. He smoked occasionally when we were teens, before we officially started dating, but he then completely dropped it when he found out I wouldn't get involved romantically with a smoker. As I explained to him, I couldn't see a person I loved deteriorate in front of me again. After being together so long, he's told me he's grateful he stopped back when he did. I'm just glad both of us are happy about that kind of life decision! It's always been important since we've had a really solid "life plan" whenever it comes to our future-- health, family and everything in between.