As his quitting date comes near, Matt McDonnell, 51, has been thinking about his life as a smoker. "It has such power over me," he admits, "but this is something I don't want to continue doing."    Diagnosed with a lung disease two years ago, the private investigator who has smoked 36 years is well aware of the damage cigarettes have done to his health.    When his wife Laurel bought him a bagpipe as a birthday gift a few years ago, McDonnell didn't have the lung ability to play the instrument. "I could tell it was smoking-related and I couldn't believe that my health was being stolen away."    So he quit... for a while. "In four months, my skin tone improved and I noticed that I wasn't getting chest pains." But after a stressful day, McDonnell went out and bought cigarettes. " _ "    Now working with non-smoking coach Angela Forfia, McDonnell says, "I find that it takes the average person seven attempts to actually quit and the big trip wires are emotional. Lesson learned: I will now follow this program-- and it had better work!" When did McDonnell begin to realize that something was wrong with his lung?
When he first began to smoke in his life. When he was diagnosed with a lung disease. When his wife bought him a bagpipe. On a stressful day.