What they don't tell you about... Quitting smoking

AdobeTree

I quit smoking 15 days ago. In the midst of a cravy morning, I am wondering what kind of positive experiences other people have had after quitting. Better teeth color, money saved, that weird symptom went away, etc.

I have not run this week, but I am looking forward to stronger lungs.

cessi0909

Good for you! I quit 8 years ago this September!
I breath better-- it's amazing the difference of being able to go up a few stairs without my chest burning.
My teeth look better, I smell better -- and I smell better ha meaning me as person no longer stinks like smoke AND my sense of smell and taste has greatly improved.

You can do this and you be so thankful you did!! Message me anytime you need some kind words to remind you why you don't want to smoke ever again

thereshegoesagain

Yesterday was my 10 year anniversary of quitting after 30 years of smoking a pack a day.

In that time I have not smoked 73,407 cigarettes, I have saved $21,914.22 (based on $5 per pack) and added 8 months, 1 weed, 3 days and 15 hours to my life. I use an ap called Quit Keeper to track this info and motivate me.

The list of changes is endless but some of mine are that my skin now glows. It no longer has a greyish look to it. I don't stink anymore. My house and car don't stink. My teeth are whiter and gums healthier. I don't have to wash clothes after one wearing. I can be more active without struggling to breathe. I can taste and smell food better. I don't have to leave a group of friends to step outside and get my fix. I don't have to worry about plane travel and how long I'll have to go without a smoke. I don't have to make sure I have enough cigarettes to get me through until I go into town next. No more having to wash stinky ashtrays all the time.
Oh, my list could go on and on and on.

I'm so happy you have made the choice. It is hard, once in awhile I still have dreams about smoking even after all this time but I know that I will never smoke again.

I quit by being hypnotized, my session was recorded and I listened to it every morning before getting out of bed and again when I went to bed. I also discovered whyquit.com which is similar to MFP in that it has a fantastic community of support and information. I told everyone that I had quit so that they would understand why I may be cranky at times and kept sugar free lollypops nearby as a crutch for awhile. I also began walking when I was staring a hard craving in the face.

Congratulations on your decision, you will discover that it is one of the best choices you make in your life!

7yearbitch

It'll be three years on Feb. 16th for me. I don't wake up hacking up a lung. That's a really big bonus for me. I'm also not on my front porch in the morning gagging as I choke down poisonous smoke. I quit cold turkey. I paced around a lot when I got big cravings. After three months I was good, though. Now, when I smell smoke I feel sick. I can't be in the vicinity of someone smoking. I have a strong, negative physical reaction to it.

AdobeTree

Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I can hardly believe it, but this is my 28th day smoke free. I do miss it, But I take some deep breaths, and remember how much I wanted to quit.

I ran yesterday, and it was really good.

Smart_Beautiful_and_Strong

28 days is awesome! I quit almost 8 yrs ago after 30 yrs. I watched what it did to my grandma and mom and decided it wasn't goi g to take me. I started really young so I hadnt driven a car without smoking....didnt know what to do after a meal...didnt know what to do after I did a load of dishes or a load of laundry. I started chewing gum in the car and having a cup of hot tea after meals and chores. I just replaced my habit lol. I had been smoke free for 3 weeks when I first smelt smoke on someone because I grew up with smokers...not a great smell. Best of luck and keep up the great work!

KANGOOJUMPS

food and drink finally have flavor.

JustMissTracy

I smoked for 23 years, and quit 10 years ago (after many tries) .....my hubby still smokes a lot, though. I can definitely attest to being able to smell/taste things better than before. My cardiovascular health improved within the first 6 months......Also, there is this massive pride I carry with me every day...the one that says, Yes I am stronger than I ever thought I was...so many people CAN'T quit, but I did. Sounds egotistical, I know...but it's not. It's just this feeling of strength that I had never found before quitting.

Remoth

I am really in support of anyone that quits smoking. I lived in a household where 3/5 people smoked a pack every 2 days at least. The amount of hacking and coughing going on in the household daily is rather nasty. And the amount I end up coughing from secondhand is very concerning to me. Nothing worse than having coffee at the dining room table and 2-3 people's smoke is billowing into your face... I think the biggest reason I would quit is the extra cash. 3 packs a week for 52 weeks at 12 bucks a pack (in Canada I believe) is about 2000 bucks a year! Could do something really substantial with that! I really hope you succeed and hope everything good you hear about quitting is true!

grinning_chick

What they don't tell you about quitting tobacco?

1. If you get the "rage", it can last up to a year or so.
2. Sometimes, for some, your sense of smell/taste do not return.
3. Complacency is a quit killer.
4. No more tonsilloliths if that's the cause for you!
5. Sometimes, for some, you won't be able to completely forget about tobacco no matter how long you've been quit.

-But-

"Geez, I wish I'd never quit tobacco." said no one ever. (probably - )

A great incentive is to sock away in an envelope on the same day every week the amount of money you would have spent on tobacco that week. And keep a weekly tally. At the end of a year, buy yourself something nice.

I wish you much success. The first year can be quite the roller coaster but in the end, the ride does end.

ninerbuff

How about just reducing risk on your health overall? I smoked for 20 years (less than a half pack a day) and my one regret in life is that I wished I never did. It's compromised my endurance and cost me more than I thought over that time monetarily. I could have done so much with that money I spent over that time.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

cwolfman13

I quit smoking three years ago this past September. I was a 2-3 PAD smoker for years and smoked for 20 years total.

I can breathe deeply and do vigorous exercise for extended periods of time...and still breathe. I can play around in the yard with my kids without having to take a break every minute because I'm out of breath. I can enjoy good old fashioned recreational activities like hiking and camping without feeling like I'm going to die. I don't wake up spending the first 30 minutes of my day hacking up a lung. I don't smell like *kitten*. Food and drinks have more flavor. I get sick less often...I used to get at least 3 or 4 respiratory and sinus infections per year...I just had one in November that was pretty nasty, but it was my first in 3 years. I have more disposable income to do things that are more fun than puffing away my $$.

Fursian

AdobeTree wrote: »

I quit smoking 15 days ago. In the midst of a cravy morning, I am wondering what kind of positive experiences other people have had after quitting. Better teeth color, money saved, that weird symptom went away, etc.

I have not run this week, but I am looking forward to stronger lungs.

Well done to you!

Most obvious thing I noticed after quitting was the annoying cough I was developing (that would also wake me up during the night) disappeared. 2 years quit. One of the best things I ever did.

@thereshegoesagain, I've used Quit Keeper, and visited whyquit.com, great site!

Well done to all of you here also!

HorrorGeekLiz

I smoked a pack a day for 20 years. I quit using e-cigs for 2.5 years, then decided to finally throw the monkey off my back and went cold turkey off those to get off nicotine. I never would have ever stopped smoking without those e-cigs. They saved me completely and I lost all my smoker's symptoms while on them - the cough went away, the lung power came back, me and everything I owned smelled better. But these are the things we all know come from quitting smoking.

When I decided I was tired of the stupid drug controlling me (any smoker/nicotine addict knows "The Fear of Being Without") I knew I was fine with giving up the mental part of smoking. I was far past that. It was solely nicotine that I wanted. So, I took control and went cold turkey.

What They Don't Tell You

1. The sugar cravings are intense. I've never eaten so much sugar in such a small amount of time. The first week I pretty much had either chocolate. a cookie, or a cupcake in my hand at all times. It was insane. 3 months later, I'm still trying to keep that in check.

2. I think about giving up and going back on it every single day. Yes, still. I don't know why except that clearly addiction is insanely powerful. I know people who quit 10 years ago that still say they think about it from time to time. Like any addict - alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, etc - you can't have just one. You will never be able to smoke again.

3. The smell changes. Any smoker knows cigarettes smell heavenly when others are smoking around you. It's a sweet, beckoning aroma that is impossible to describe to a non-smoker. Why? Because it's part of the addiction. Once you quit, there comes a turning point where you start to smell them as a non-smoker smells them. You wonder how on earth you ever though those smelled good. That is a good day when that starts to happen - it means your addiction is weakened enough that you have a much higher chance of success now.

4. It will be the hardest thing you'll ever do, but every struggle is worth the freedom of not being at the mercy of the addiction. When you realize that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, without having to worry about fitting in your smoke break, or making sure you have enough cigarettes to get through the day - that freedom is priceless.

Congrats on quitting. Keep going! You can do this!

justinkeeton0013

Good luck and congratulations!!! I am quitting for the new year and it will be 2 weeks on Monday. Did not think Id make it the first day and now I am excited to be able to say non-smoker. Still crave but its easier now than it was before. Just know it will be easier tomorrow than it is today.

kisergina72

I can't quit, I try every day but fail. It doesn't help that my husband does too and he keeps buying them.

Kalyn

Next month will be 8 years since I quit. Best decision of my life!!!! I quit when my dad got sick (he had a triple bypass at age 50). The first 6 months were the roughest. I bought a new coat and purse because of the smell. I will never forget about a year after I quit I apologized to my husband (who never smoked) because of how bad it smelled. Definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I am so thankful I did. I also appreciate not coughing up a lung every morning.

ivvassileva

Congrats, quitting is great
I quit an year and a half ago and it was one of the best things I've done Initially I probably started as I wanted to fit in (I was 17, don't judge me ) I had a hard time for the first month or two after quitting, but then I didn't feel like lighting up anymore. I'm surely not in a safe environment, most of the people around me smoke, including my father, my brother and my boyfriend, but I feel great without it and I am much happier with myself now
Don't give in, it gets better

bubbajoe1066

I quit in January of 2000,i had a terrible sinus infection and while i was sitting in the docs office ,waiting in absolute misery, a medical segment came on the office T.V. stating the effects of smoking . one of of which was increased sinus infections. I quit that day.... cold turkey... i was a 3 plus pack a day smoker.. and i have to tell you i liked smoking.. i really enjoyed it... that rush from the first butt of the day with a cup of hot coffee...mmmmm.

the first couple of weeks are the worse... i drank a lot of coffee back then... all day long in fact.. but once i quit smoking i had to stop drinking coffee as well, it was my trigger to smoke. i only have one cup in the morning now. when i tell you i was a miserable S.O.B. , I really was a miserable S.O.B. ,,my lovely wife wanted to smother me in my sleep... but after that first month it got better and each month after that. next thing i know its 6 months then a year..... 16 years later i can say it was one of the most difficult things i have done but one of the best...the list of benefits is very long... you don't stink, you taste food..ect.ect. you know the list... here is the bottom line
YOU WILL LIVE LONGER!!!!

i read somewhere that nicotine only stays in your body for 24 hrs, its the reason why we smoke so much is to keep those levels mantained in our bodies... (don't quote not 100% sure of this fact) after 24 hrs the drug is out of our bodies but the addiction to that drug is what drives the cravings.

just for giggles and chits i looked up what is in a cigarette

from the American Lung Association

There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous.

Many of these chemicals also are found in consumer products, but these products have warning labels. While the public is warned about the danger of the poisons in these products, there is no such warning for the toxins in tobacco smoke.

Here are a few of the chemicals in tobacco smoke and other places they are found:

Acetone – found in nail polish remover
Acetic Acid – an ingredient in hair dye
Ammonia – a common household cleaner
Arsenic – used in rat poison
Benzene – found in rubber cement
Butane – used in lighter fluid
Cadmium – active component in battery acid
Carbon Monoxide – released in car exhaust fumes
Formaldehyde – embalming fluid
Hexamine – found in barbecue lighter fluid
Lead – used in batteries
Naphthalene – an ingredient in mothballs
Methanol – a main component in rocket fuel
Nicotine – used as insecticide
Tar – material for paving roads
Toluene - used to manufacture paint

Good luck.... its will be tough... you already past the really worst 2 weeks... you can do this. don't give in, don't give up

christinaarcand

AdobeTree wrote: »

I quit smoking 15 days ago. In the midst of a cravy morning, I am wondering what kind of positive experiences other people have had after quitting. Better teeth color, money saved, that weird symptom went away, etc.

I have not run this week, but I am looking forward to stronger lungs.

good 4 u. i quit five years ago.
i don't have burning in my lungs when i workout. I also smell better. I also have better teeth and gums. Also i don't have to be a slave to a cigerrete. save 300 per month.
Itsa process. my digestive system was really messed up from smoking. i was bloated with a distended belly for months. if thats the case. focus on healing digestion. you will probably notice that you cant drink soda anymore or other foods. this is good. you will find out which foods are sensitive and how they effect you without the cigs.

CatherineWarburtonHayhurst

Well done! I gave up 30 months ago and I've not looked back. Not even had a puff.

I save my smoking money every month and have used it to buy a sports car but mostly to travel. £7,000 up to now. Can't believe I used to spend that much! I've had my teeth cleaned and they are soooo much whiter. My skin is better as is my fitness and stamina. I do not miss smoking one bit.

So, the not so great stuff. After a few weeks your breath will stink. Horrifically. That's because the blood with circulate around your mouth properly, your gums will most likely bleed too. You'll have cravings and you'll most likely eat and drink more. BUT THIS IS SHORT TERM! What you are doing is amazing! You'll live longer and you'll be able to afford to do the things you love.

Congratulations and good luck