So many resources tell you to write a list of your reasons when quitting... and of course, in my own true bone idle fashion, I never quite got around to bothering So here, six weeks late, is my 'note to self' if I should ever feel weak.
My reasons for quitting
(i) Money. One of the more usual reasons, but a valid one none the less. Twenty a day is just about bang on £250 a month. But it's not just the smoking, it's the associated drinking - a couple of beers a day and a bag of crisps is another £250 a month. Since stopping smoking, I've also stopped drinking - not a deliberate decision, but since the two go hand in hand for me it just kind of happened. So, that's an instant £500 a month in my pocket. By the time you account for tax alone, this is like giving myself a £10k a year pay rise :eek:
(ii) Weight. See (i) above - no beer & crisps is about 800 calories a day less! Other diet adjustment means about 10kg / 22lbs lost so far.
(iii) Health. Another common reason. I guess every smoker thinks they are somehow immune, but last year two of my good friends found out they weren't - one was diagnosed with throat cancer and died within three months, and the other diagnosed with COPD (still smoking and fighting for every breath). Both in their mod fifties, just a few years older than me - do I really want to keep running towards that cliff edge?
(iv) Sick of the chains of addiction. Sick of the lethargy. Sick of the stink. Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
My reasons for staying quit
(i) All of the above, plus - tired of being a serial quitter, been doing this for too long and don't ever want to find myself back at day 1 again:(. It does get easier, why would I put myself back at the bottom of the mountain?
There, that's cheered me up no end