Question for reformed smokers

Good for you Melanie!! You are doing the right thing, thinking about all the benefits that await you. I too dropped down to 1-2 cigarettes a day for about a week - 10 days before giving them up entirely, after awhile I felt like smoking just 1 cigarette and having to think about it/be eager to get to it was like torture and I actually felt better smoking 0 a day than I did smoking 1! Crazy!! LOL

Big benefits for me were: huge time & money savings, healthier teeth & gums (been having some dental issues the past few years that were getting too painful and expensive), smelling good - got myself lots of scented lotions and mini perfumes when I quit so I could enjoy my new better sense of smell, cardio exercise is MUCH easier, not having to sneak out of parties or dinners or rush out of the movie theater the instant the credits start, etc.

The biggest thing was the feeling of confidence, once I quit smoking I felt like I could tackle almost any challenge! Like joining MFP to work on the weight thing.

One of the main things that keeps me from becoming a smoker again is the COST! It's like...hmmmm, spend $150-$200 bucks a month killing myself...or use that extra cash taking my wife out and do something fun with her and our son.

I love everything about this.

The biggest thing was the feeling of confidence, once I quit smoking I felt like I could tackle almost any challenge! Like joining MFP to work on the weight thing.

This right here was the biggest unexpected consequence I had as well. Once I quit, and quit for real, really knew I had done it, I wondered what else I might be able to do that I never thoght I could. It's what inspired me to take up running. I started eating better and lost 50 pounds. I ended up running a 10 mile race. I bought a condo for myself too. Quitting smoking for me really was the catalyst for getting a LOT of things in my life in order.

I quit cold turkey. I reminded myself that after 3 days, the physical addiction was gone and the rest is mental. I could handle my own head :laugh:

- The smell of smoke now makes me sick and gives me headaches
- I smell so clean now
- I got my sense of smell back, and realized that I could taste and smell things I hadn't before.
- My blood pressure went down 10 points
- I didn't have to clear my throat constantly (it always felt like there was goop in it)
- I save a ton of money
- I don't get shameful stares
- My kids don't remember me being a smoker
- I have so much time for other things
- I don't have to run to the store at midnight because I don't have enough cigs for a morning smoke

It's worth it. I promise. Get past those 3 days and get on with your life. Soon you won't remember being a smoker.:flowerforyou:

I also recommend Chantix. As a 30 year smoker who thought I would never quit smoking, it worked really well for me. I stayed on it for 6 months, but probably could have quit taking it sooner (loved the dreams and slept like a rock!). Besides the extra money, the best thing about not smoking is how good you feel. Both for what you've accomplished and physically.

I know this isn't quite what you're after, but my dad died of lung cancer caused by smoking. Believe me when I say it means the world to the people who love you!

I quit smoking a long time ago cold turkey from around 50 a day....I too never thought I could do it.

Subsequently breathing is a lot better, can run up a flight of stairs, No freezing my butt off cos I have to smoke outside, food tastes better but most of all the cost more pennies for me now the choice is just paying the bills

proud of you for deciding to quit! things that i enjoy since quitting:

- not feeling like a slave anymore (i.e. having to leave fun things to smoke, going out in the cold, getting up from bed to smoke, etc)
- not getting irritable/being *****y to people when i'm in a situation where i can't smoke for awhile (i would get like this at holidays)
- not getting all wet/cold when driving and having to roll down my window to smoke
- not smelling terrible - buy myself really nice perfume and lotion now
- not having that nagging/awful feeling in the back of my head at all times about knowing i am doing something thats killing me
- not having to immediately change the channel or conversation when non-smoking ads/discussion come up
- save SO much time, i would smoke in the morning when i woke up, then after shower with coffee, etc. so saves lots of time
- no more feeling ashamed/higher self-esteem
- don't worry/get anxiety about being in places i can't smoke anymore
- think its healthier for my kitties...i used to smoke in the house when it was cold feel so bad about this
- not planning my day around whether i have enough cigarrettes (i.e. i know i'm late for work but i won't have time to stop before class so i have to go now)

i know you can do this!!

I smoked for 24 years. I tried everything to quit, even Chantix. Nothing worked because I felt like I had lost my "best friend." Crazy right?! More like my worst enemy! What worked for me was an electronic cigarette. I started with a cartridge that had nicotine and weened myself down to zero nicotine cartridges. I had that something to fiddle with. I think everyone is different and different techniques work differently for everybody. If quitting smoking is really what you want, you will find the will and way to make it happen. I have been cigarette free since March 25, 2012, and E-Cig free since since August 15, 2012. Now it's like I have always been a non-smoker. I can't stand the smell of it. I can smell it on people in the grocery store and think, OMG, that used to be me! When I see someone with a cigarette, it doens't make me want one, it repulses me! Makes me wonder how I ever smoked. I truely wish you best in quitting! I think this IS the one time we can all cheer on the "quitters!"

After many years of smoking what was probably at least half a pack a day, if not more, my Grandpa was forced to quit when he was hospitalized for an unrelated condition. It wasn't a pleasant experience for him, I don't think, and probably explains why we never got him to quit, or even seriously attempt to quit, before that. However, after the hospitalization, he did NOT start smoking again. He recognized the benefits of this smoke-free opportunity and has managed to stay smoke free for a number of years since.

About a year after he stopped smoking, he confessed that the smell of cigarettes or even a fellow smoker, was enough to make him crave a smoke again. This was also news in that he now could smell smokers. Before, when he was a smoker, he didn't notice the smell. He is pleased with how much easier it is to breathe now, and that awful cough he once had, is rarely heard now.

He knew if he caved to the craving he'd never give it up again, so he has never caved. We do our best to limit his exposure to the smell of the tempting cancer-sticks, so that helps. I don't think he'll ever be rid of the cravings for it though, because even a year after he stopped smoking he told us that if he knew, for certain that he was going to die in a day or in a week, he'd light up a new pack of smokes without hesitation, they're just that "good". But, despite that, he's glad he doesn't smoke now. For one, it makes Grandma happier because she doesn't have to watch him sit outside in all sorts of weather creating a noxious cloud of smoke every day (she never let him smoke inside). And for two, he seems younger now that he can breathe easier.