Thanks 42 for the backup. I brought up being overweight as a parallel because there are similarities. Overeating and smoking are both habits that have a psychological as well as a physical aspect to them. Obviously a person cannot stop eating completely in order to lose weight, but they have to learn self control and stop overeating. They need to develop good habits like portion control and exercise to undo the damage that has been done.
A smoker, on the other hand, has to completely stop smoking (in my opinion IMMEDIATELY) and control himself not to take another smoke. I also agree that anyone who starts smoking has a major tayna, but I do wonder if that’s at all different here in EY. My daughter’s close friend has a brother who started to smoke. How could his parents let him? My daughter feels it’s an influence from the yeshiva, where most of the rebbeim smoke, but still, there is so much bad stuff known about smoking, how can they let their talmidim start up as well. Maybe they don’t believe the medical info? On Purim I was pretty shocked when I heard that a father promised his kids cigarettes as a prize for doing a mitzvah. Totally backwards to me.