Up in smoke

I love you, but you smell like an ashtray.

Sometimes, remedying that problem is a little more difficult than taking a shower after a night at SoHo Bar & Grill.

Have you ever asked a significant other to quit smoking?

Rumor is Ryan Reynolds recently asked wife Scarlett Johansson to kick the habit in honor of the pair's one-year wedding anniversary.

Here, one woman details how she gave up cigarettes to honor a promise to her husband -- and never looked back. Here's how she summarizes her feelings:

But I've never had so much as a single puff since, because I don't want to look in his big brown eyes and admit that I failed him, that cigarettes were more important than keeping my word to him.

Often, this kind of essay can simplify addiction.

Sure, a pleading -- or ultimatum-ready -- partner can help you give up a vice. But ultimately, you alone are the most important factor in whether you succeed or fail.

Which is probably the way it should be, since you don't want your stability contingent on someone else's encouragement.