You can escape the ciggy siren's song, not its silence

I have a confession to make. Ten years after giving up smoking I have started the wretched habit again. And it's not just the occasional puff. Rather, it's the full-on 15-a-day craving-led nicotine addiction that I swore blind to rid myself of forever a decade ago.

I kept my promise faithfully for more than 3,600 days so why did I relapse? Why have I gone back to almost kippering myself on a daily basis when just a few weeks ago I found the smell chokingly repugnant?

Quite simply, Beijing seduced me like a sexy siren.