Smoking affects us physically by damaging the mouth, lungs, heart, brain, stomach and the circulation. The odour of nicotine and the vibrations of its substance draws the adverse forces around us. Thus it has the potential to damage the instruments of manifestation. However the higher spiritual consciousness can override all these things and leave one unaffected. This, of course, is no reason to smoke. But for someone straining towards the spiritual life it can obviously become an obstacle. Once one has quit smoking then the harmful effects on the body generally get erased as the cells change which they do every few years.
Yes, if someone has conquered a difficulty within then it can facilitate its conquest in others, especially if the person is open to a wider and larger cosmic consciousness.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
