I am new to this forum. I had my last cigarette 3 weeks ago today. A small milestone compared to a lot of people on here, but it is the longest that I have managed in all of my quit attempts. I think my main reason to quitting was to reduce the amount of money that spend, or waste. Although having a lot of time to ponder lately, I have added a lot of other reasons to my ever increasing list. Money alone does not seem to be a good reason, as there are times when I am feeling a bit flush (mostly from not spending so much on cigarettes!) and that initial reason for quitting becomes tested. I have switched to focusing on the true benefits of quitting, which for me at least, seems to be keeping me positive. My list is as follows :-
Not having to ask non smoker friends if we can sit outside, when the weather really isn't good enough
Having nice smelling hair and clothes, that actually smell nice for more than an hour
Coming home to a nice smelling house
No more sore throat and burnt feeling tongue
Having a car that isn't unpleasant for passengers
Not worrying about whether you've got cash for cigarettes all of the time
Not getting evil looks from passers by when you have a cigarette break outside work in a public area's
Having to clean yellow tar off the conservatory walls
The money saved is like having over £2,000 a year tax-free pay rise
Being able to concentrate on what you're doing without thinking about going and having a cig when your finished, eg eating, cleaning, working!
People not backing off when they get within two feet
Smelling wonderful scents like the smell of the air after it has been raining!
No nasty clearing your throat all the time
Taking deep breaths of clean air
Being a bit richer
Having a pink tongue!
Your lungs getting rid of gunk
Not being (so) grumpy in the morning
Paintwork will stay whiter as will ceilings
Lovely clean teeth
More energy
Ateries becoming un-clogged
Longer life
No longer getting cold or wet when I go to the pub, just to have a cigarette
Not being a drug-addict! Yes that is what it is. It is not a habit, it is an addiction. So no more slavery
I found the following online which makes for interesting reading
At 20 minutes after quitting:
blood pressure decreases
pulse rate drops
body temperature of hands and feet increases.
At 8 hours:
carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
nerve endings begin regrowth
ability to smell and taste improves
Between 2 weeks and 3 months:
circulation improves
walking becomes easier
lung function increases
Between 1 to 9 months smoke-free:
Starting as early as a month after you quit smoking, and continuing for the next several months, you may notice significant improvements in these areas:
coughing
sinus congestion
fatigue
shortness of breath
At One Year Smoke-Free:
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker after one year.
At Two years Smoke-Free:
Your chance of achieving long-term success with quitting tobacco increases significantly after two years.
At 5 years smoke-free:
from 5 to 15 years after quitting tobacco, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years smoke-free:
risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
risk of ulcers decreases
At 15 years smoke-free:
risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
There are no real benefits to smoking when you sit down and think about it. I feel more relaxed now than I ever did after having a cigarette. I think smoking only semi-relieves the cravings which itself causes. That being said, it is a very powerful illusion, and I am still getting thoughts now and then that I missing something. I am sure that it is going to take longer than the 3 weeks that have passed, but I am going to stay strong and get my list out when I feel that nicotine monster on my shoulder
20 Replies
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Hi Mad! wow 15 months! Well done and many congrats on that. I have a long way to go until I feel that I am truly getting somewhere with it, but I do have my list up on the fridge. You are right, health is the most precious reason, I am surprised that I hadn't put it top of my list. (goes to edit list ) Many thanks for the reply, and support. It's greatly appreciated! Hope you are enjoying the glorious sunshine today
Hi Paul, well done on deciding to quit. It doesn't matter how long you have been quit or how long it takes as long as you stay strong and say no to nicotine. It took me 6 months to properly stop without any nrts. Then I got chest infection. So after being quit for just short of a year I had to pay the price for smoking. Wont go in to details but believe me I am still glad I stopped. I did write a blog which is under the tags section , titled jillys story. Mad is right Health is the most important thing. With your attitude you should breeze it. Take care. xx
Hi Jillygirl. Thanks for replying. Oh my, I hope you are feeling better now? I will track down the blog take a look at the blog and catch up with details. I am relying on NRT to get me through the first weeks/months. I am glad that you are now off the NRT, but glad to hear that it does work. Friends and family think that I am cheating by not going cold turkey, but I know that this just isn't for me. Hope that you fighting fit now and taking care xx
Hi Paul, I had two reasons. 1. Because my dentist said smoking was causing my gum recession. I now think he was actually lying or if not lying certainly doesn't have a clue whether it does or doesn't cause the problems I had/have but just had it drummed into him at dental school.
And reason 2 was the same as you, money. I'm now sticking with the money aspect of it. I don't have a lot of money but what I do have I'd like to keep for me. I also quite like the idea that I'm depriving the Treasury in more ways than one. First they're not getting all that tax off me any more and if I don't smoke I may possibly live a bit longer and hopefully providing they don't raise the retirement age to 100 I will get back some of the money I've paid in over the last 30 odd years by way of a state pension. After all if it means depriving Dave and his mates at No 10 of a bit of dosh so they can't keep giving themselves £10,000 pay rises every year because they're what was it again? Oh yeah - unique!!
Its been six long months and a struggle, it still is a struggle, not helped by the fact that I am now addicted to nicotine lozenges instead of cigarettes. Am I happy? No. Do I feel free? No. I don't care if I stink, I don't care about standing outside in the cold to smoke. I certainly couldn't care less what looks people give me in the street if I smoke, there are far worse things going on in the world. I do care about the 10lb or so in weight I've put on over the last six months after losing 3 1/2 stones in 2010 sticking rigidly to a diet. I care massively about the fact I had to buy a size 14 pair of pants today instead of 12's.
Nothing tastes better, nothing smells nicer, I have less energy now than when I smoked. I am bad tempered, bitter and totally fed up but I'll get there cos I've come this far and there's no turning back and besides how could I be happy knowing the tobacco industry had won.
Good luck with your quit though, you sound like you're finding it a hell of a lot easier than me.
You deserve the biggest medal of everyone, sin. Your determination is amazing. I would (almost) kill for some of that - if you could bottle it and sell it you'd be a millionaire!
Hats off to you!
I've got a feeling you will be losing the extra weight in the foreseeable. You bloody deserve to!
Aww thanks Betts. I didn't reply to you last night as I went out on my bike last night after posting on here cos I was umm....determined to retain my Queen of the Mountain on one of the roads on a cycle route I use to go to the shops. There is a phone app called Strava which lets you compare your speeds with other riders on certain sections of roads local to you and I wanted to get a better time on there as I had to walk up yesterday afternoon cos it was so hot. So yes I don't like things to get the better of me, mind you I do an awful lot of moaning and complaining along the way - its what keeps me going - lol.
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Hi Sinfree.
Thanks for your reply. I agree wholeheartedly about not letting the government take any more of our hard earned money. That in itself is a good enough reason to want to quit. It isn't going as easy as I my previous post would lead you to believe. I am relying on NRT at the moment to help take away a lot of the cravings, and I also find myself depending on those 4mg lozenges, along with the 21mg patches. It could be that I am swapping one addiction for another? Maybe my new found optimism may wear thin after another couple of weeks, or if I try and come off the NRT, or maybe I am trying to convince myself that things are all tickety-boo in a bid to distract myself from having a cigarette.
I hope that you start finding things easier very soon. 6 months is such a long time, and I think that is amazing. I am glad that newbies like myself can see that people like yourself are still smoke-free after such a long time.
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Hi Paul, I'm feeling much more positive today, that's how its been all along - up and down like a yoyo It's not often I talk to a newcomer to the site and its not because I'm anti social or anything but I always think I'll frighten them off because I do find it so difficult to be positive about the whole quit process. I'm sure you will do really well and you carry on with all your positive thoughts and ideas for stopping, don't listen to me As for family and friends of yours, I can totally assure them and everyone on here will vouch the same - using NRT is NOT cheating. It's still very hard, especially at first and you need all the support and quitting aids you can get.
Good luck and I hope today has been kind to you.
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Good evening! I hope that you have had a lovely day, and enjoying the glorious sunshine? The yoyo comparison brought a smile to my face, It really does seem to be up's and down's, the process of quitting. I am starting to realise that my determination and positive outlook are going to be frequently tested. It is tiring trying to keep in that frame of mind all of the time isn't it? The fact that you have stayed stronger than the cravings for so long shows that you are winning the battle! I hope that tomorrow is good day for you.
Hi Paul, well done on getting to 3 weeks, and welcome to this lovely site.
You have a lot of great reasons for quitting there, especially the health benefits, that was my main reason for stopping, and i want to be around to see my grandson grow up.
It's nice to meet you. Well done to you too, and off course everyone else! It's so nice to read how well everyone is doing, and It's very awe-inspiring
Aaww the though of your grandson is a great way to stay focused
Thanks Mad, I am stocked up with plenty of NRT and it reassuring to know that it is healthier than smoking. You're right about not running too soon, I have a feeling that this could be a Marathon
I am using the lozenges, and sometimes the quickmist too, in addition to the step one patches, and so far they seem to be working
Hi Paul, well done for getting to 3 weeks. I'm another one that's been quit for over a year - now 14 months - and I managed to do it cold turkey.
A couple of reasons I quit (after threatening to myself for at least 20 years ).
I could feel my voice was deteriorating and didn't want to have to whisper the rest of my life.
My wrinkles seemed to be increasing in depth and number and I didn't want to be looking 90 when I got to 60.
I have discovered countless other positives since quitting. I do feel it could be so easy to have a puff "just to taste it" but know that if I did I could get sucked back into it again and don't want to throw it all away now.
Good luck with your quit - I hope it's your final one, Andi
Hi Andi. Thank you and congrats on reaching 14 months!
They both sound like excellent reasons. You will without without any doubt be able to tell every one loud and clear, how you managed to kick nicotine's butt !
I am starting to see far more benefits than I first imagined.
For the first time in 3 weeks I have spent all day thinking about having one cigarette, even with my patches and lozenges working away. I didn't slip up and the day is now over Hopefully tomorrow with be temptation free!
hi paul well done ive stopped for just over 8 weeks now .been using inhulator and lozengers .I didn't use anything for 5 days last week but went back to inhulator as was feeling a bit stressed .am trying again now to not use nrt for a bit again .people say your be fine after 3 weeks but I think your got to prepare for a battle of about 7 months .
Hi Maddy. Congrats on quitting! I am glad that the NRT has been working well for you this far. I am also looking forward to the day that I can start coming off it. Stay strong and the best of luck to you. x
Let me add my welcome and well done along with the others.
My reason for giving up smoking is for health reasons. I want to do all I can for my well being and those around me. It wasn't until I stopped smoking and began to smell again that I realised how bad it had been for my younger son who lives with me and has never smoked.
I do use NRT in the form of an e-cig and don't think I could have done it without. I smoked my last cigarette on the morning of January 11th 2013 and haven't smoked since. It hasn't been all plain sailing but it is certainly worth it. There is a real sense of freedom that I have found, comes with being a non smoker. I think that is one of the things that keeps me motivated to stay a non smoker. I think your list is really great. I, for one, am going to copy and paste it to a separate document, if you don't mind.
First of all many congrats on quitting! There is nothing more precious than our health. We can't buy it back once we have lost it. How are you feeling 6 months on? I bet you feel great! I noticed the increased sense of smell in the first week. Now it is like smelling in HD
The E-cigs seems very popular. They would be really useful when the urge to smoke is too strong. In fact I will take look today and see if I can pick one up. Are they disposable or reusable? Please feel free to copy the list and I wish you every success in staying smoke free ^_^
I'm 23 and have smoked for 5years now. it all began when I moved to London and these cigs became an absolute crutch - a total dependancy to help me deal with EVERYTHING.
But i've been in and out of hospital for 5 months now with periductal mastitis: infectious abscess in my breast - sore, painful, damaging and this only occurs in female smokers due to the sensitivity to the chemicals in tabacco smoke.
smoking my elite now: 24 hours in - but I literally have no choice - I'm not going to waste NHS money and continue something which is very visually harming my body =[ if I could i'd continue smoking so it's a blessing in disguise - I knew I wanted to quit eventually - guess this is my year x
I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this and at such a young age I don't think we realise the damage that smoking does, I didn't know that it caused this.
This is the place to come to for help with your quit journey, everyone is so kind and helpful, you should join us on the daily chat for good advice and a laugh along the way, Emjay our advisor has lots of tips to help you get through the rough times, as we a lot of the others do as well.
I hope this clears up for you soon, and you get rid of the nasty pain.
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I don't think we realise the damage that smoking does, I didn't know that it caused this. 
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Failed at the first hurdle
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