In regard to Vic: it wasn't smoking that killed him, was it? It was the gas he changed with.
I stopped smoking two weeks ago this Wednesday. I switched to this stuff called Snus, which is a hell of a lot less toxic than cigarette tobacco(it's cured differently; and by the way, I smoked American Spirit, which is supposedly additive-free), and has a much higher hit of nicotine but you can't stand to do it nearly as often. My thought was that if I just want the nicotine, why not minimize the damage. Especially as I live in a nonsmoking-fascist building and they were getting wise. (I considered the e-cigarette but I'm unsure about the solution you breathe)
One thing I've noticed, now that it's just the nicotine, that a lot of little discomforts in my body that have built up a long time, and that I couldn't find a reason for(and that have nothing to do with respiration, more like skin dryness, lousy digestion, etc.), have cleared up. It does a lot more than just make you cough.