My Grandad smoked from the age of 13. He smoked all his life through to when he retired at 75 years old (he was a removals man driving around Europe - he moved a few footballers). He thought in retirement it wouldn't be best for him to be just sat at home in his late 70s smoking all day, and he was a chain smoker for probably 50 years.
So one week after retirement he woke up one morning, finished his last cigarette (think he smoked B&H Gold King Size) in his last packet with a coffee, savoured the moment and feeling for a little while, put the cig out and never smoked again. No patches, no gum, no replacement plastic cig efforts, no electric cigs...just stone cold stopped and hasn't touched a cig for three years since.
In those three years he's had about five chest infections, came out in a big rash for about a month after quitting and he's developed arthritis in his hands and he's put loads of weight on. But he and his house do smell better, he says he can take deep breaths when dunking his head under the water in the bath for the first time he can ever remember and he can taste his food properly.
I think smoked for too long for the benefits of stopping to actually take affect. But he quit and didn't touch or even want to touch another after 63 years of smoking. If he can do it anyone can!