To ask you what has changed in your life once you quit smoking?

[proseccoaficionado]

That's it, folks.

I set my date for the end of January (some stressful events in January).

Please tell me the positive aspects of quitting smoking, what has changed in your life and please, your top tips to stay away from it.

I have to admit I'm a bit terrified and never tried to quit before. I want to do it once and for good.

Thank you and a Happy New Year, everyone

[gimmeadoughnut123]

I'm not a smoker but family members have been heavy smokers.
Skin looked better, teeth staining wasn't so bad, coughed less (I doubt they noticed all this but I certainly did!). Other family members were also less worried about bringing small babies to see them because of second hand smoke etc.

[DroningOn]

Lots of money

Feeling healthy again.

Get a jar and stick your fag money in it in cash every time you'd have bought ciggies. You'll be amazed how quickly you can build up a decent pit for a treat of some sort.

[grannycake]

So much more money! Also started running. No standing outside in the cold and the rain just to have a ciggie. Iused to put the money aside and spend it on things that I wanted but didn't need, e.g. bose ipad dock, woodburning stove. Once my DH gave up too we have split the savings 3 ways - one third each to spend how we want and the remaining third towards holidays

[TroubledMuchly]

The weight thing is definitely an attitude thing. If you're 'poor me, I'm struggling, I'll have a biscuit/cake/crisps' then you'll of course likely put weight on. But emotional eating like this is so unhealthy. Be mindful of this trap.

Instead when you're struggling, I'd suggest non-food treats. 'I'll go see a movie' or 'ill go for a nice walk' will install a healthier emotional barrier to deal with negative feelings.

I went from a size 22 to a size 10 by doing this, 6 years ago. The same time I quit smoking. It really did change my life.

You can do this!

[DroningOn]

I tried to quit on a whim unsuccessfully several times and then did the month/6week long count down, made a huge difference, used the time to psych myself up and really commit to the change.

Really found that I used fags to break up my day - I'll do this then go for a fag, I'll have a quick fag before starting that task etc.

Really does take a change of mindset about how your spend your time during the day. best of luck OP

[Saladd0dger]

I can run when iv quite smoking, no cough or wheeze. Downside is working in a super market you realise how much some people smell 🤮

[ThanksForAllTheFish]

I can smell things again. I never noticed how bad my sense of smell had become until I quit. I think it was a good 6 months for me to really notice it. A bit of a flip side to that is that I no longer like my favourite perfume - I find it too strong now. I remember the first time I really noticed my sense of smell had returned, I was walking past the flower section in Tesco and I could smell the flowers. Previously I really had to stick my nose in to smell flowers but now I can smell them at a distance. (Negitives to this are I can now smell all the unpleasant smells when I travel on the bus - a lot of stale pee smells)

The taste of food has changed, again flavours are stronger and I’ve stopped eating some old favourites as I don’t like them anymore but I love some other types food I was never that fussed about in the past.

The money is obviously a big one. I’ve saved so much money.

Also if I get a cold now I no longer get a lingering cough. I used to always have a 2/3 week cough after a cold but that just doesn’t happen now.

Anyway good luck OP. It’s a big decision to make but I promise you won’t regret quitting. Once you get passed the tricky first few months it becomes really easy and you stop thinking about smoking altogether. I think in the past year the thought of having a cigarette has came into my head once and it was just a fleeting thought during something really stressful.

[grannycake]

I was really careful not to replace my cigs with food as I knew I would use weight gain as an excuse to smoke again. Sugar free sweets helped a bit

[Highginx]

I had reached the point where I hated myself every time. I felt incredible crushing guilt. It’s so nice that I don’t have to live that 15 times a day anymore.

I still dream that I light up and I wake up feeling amazing when it’s not true. I can’t even describe the relief.

Physically, I don’t have chest or this weird shoulder pain I used to get. I don’t wake up feeling hungover every day. I don’t stink. I don’t shadily try to find spots to smoke where other people can’t see me, feeling ashamed. I don’t get the coating on the tongue or the sore throats. I can breathe deeper.

I have money! And although I put on about a stone the first year, I lost that, and more, later on.

Mostly I kept envisaging my young kids watching me die a long death, asking themselves why I’d actively choose to die. That was what got me through each day.

Good luck OP!

[Cindas]

When I sing, I can now hit notes higher than I have for years, as I discovered at the school carol service. Not sure those around me found the experience as pleasing as I did. I resisted giving the descants a go, for fear of shattering the church windows.

Also, as a vaper, I still have a cough, but it's a vaper's cough, which is far superior, and lemon flavoured.

[Highginx]

Also, and obviously this is totally up to you, but do consider giving up even though you’ve got stressful times ahead - you give yourself a chance to prove that you can do it, even in the trickiest of circumstances. There will always be stressful times. You just need to build up a track record. Every time you don’t smoke when you’re stressed, every time you don’t smoke when you’re celebrating, every time you don’t smoke when you’re bored, is a hurdle that you’ve jumped and a marker that shows you the two things can be mutually exclusive. Essentially addiction has hijacked every event and emotion you have and you need to start stripping that away.

[ThanksForAllTheFish]

Oh I forgot to say, I listened to a few stop smoking hypnosis things and I’m not sure if it worked as such but it was something I used to help me stop. I just searched ‘stop smoking hypnosis’ on YouTube and listened to it with headphones before bed. I think I listened to it every night the first week and didn’t feel the need to after that.

[BaconPringles]

My coats not stinking of smoking after one day
My hair not stinking of smoke
Fitness is much easier
Vaping helped me get off it - it only took two weeks but I felt I was wasting time vaping and couldn’t be arsed charging the thing. And then that was me.

[Highginx]

Another Alan Carr success here, by the way. I read it six times to let it sink in and I haven’t smoked for years with no substitutes.

The point from a PP about stress is spot on. It’s so stressful being a smoker - the constant wanting, the cognitive dissonance of knowing it’s killing you. Life so so much easier without it. Honestly.

And if you can, I’d try cold turkey. You need to change your mindset as well as your smoking and you’re essentially still addicted if you replace nicotine with something else. But, that’s just me.

[MrsIronfoundersson]

Am going to read Allan Carr now and do it! Way too much money goes on cigarettes, I might as well just burn ten pound notes.

[shecamefromgreece]

I quit six years ago using champix and reading the Allan Carr book. I had smoked for twenty years, twenty a day, first thing I did in the morning and last thing I did at night.
The things that really helped me were (be warned some are a bit cheesy but I just kept repeating them to myself!)
I'm not giving up anything I'm just getting rid of something that's making me unhappy
I didn't drink for the first month, I knew I would have one if I was drinking
I thought I enjoyed smoking but what I realised was enjoyed smoking to get rid of the craving that was caused by smoking in the first place!
The fear of giving much is much much worse than actually doing it
But don't be fooled when it's actually easier than you thought int o thinking "oh this is fine I can give up anytime I will just have one and give up again tomorrow"

My big thing was getting to the point where I didn't want one or think about it anymore. I once I got there it felt bloody amazing!

[proseccoaficionado]

@Blueblueyellow exactly. I feel nuts because I actually thought at some point "wtf do I do with so much time?" It's crazy, isn't it? The cigs control us, we don't control them!

[PookieDo]

My skin is a much nicer colour
I don’t smell
More money!

[trojanpony]

Nicotine replacements are awful they are so itchy.

Don’t go drinking for the first few weeks and when you do go to the pub “practice” ie go for one and leave, then build up.
Have a supportive vocal non-smoker about as smokers always want to drag you back into their smokey ways (you would be really surprised how crap people are at supporting quitters)

I didn’t notice any mega benefits like food tasted better but I did notice I had more cash and I LOVED the freedom - no going out in the rain when it’s bloody freezing. No getting antsy if meeting ran over. No more smoking lounges in the airport (not envy)

[proseccoaficionado]

I am shocked at how your responses make SO MUCH SENSE. I feel like I've been a slave for years now

My reasons to quit are: (not worried about smell because of the iqos that doesn't really smell like a normal cig)

1. I am addicted and I always think about it. I completely agree with pp who said smoking is stressful. Now that I think about it YOU ARE RIGHT. Also trying to find a smoking lounge at the airport smoking with 100 other people and smelling like pure shit in 2 minutes
2. No more sore throat, no more colds that turn into sinusitis (sinusitis is horrible, if you ever had it you know)
3. No more MONEY WASTED. I can travel more, yay!
4. No more worries about how it will impact my health.
5. No more thinking when we'll try to ttc.

[Oysterbabe]

You only really fully appreciate how much your life is controlled by it when you stop. Suddenly a long haul flight or even a long film at the cinema is not such a problem. I knew I'd quit for good when I saw my friends practically sprint for the exits at the end of lord of the rings so they could light up.

[proseccoaficionado]

@trojanpony you know what's weird? My DP doesn't smoke, in our group of friends there's only one smoker, my dad doesn't smoke, my mom smokes about 5/day but NEVER in their house (so when I go I won't be tempted), and his parents don't smoke. My future bil and sil don't smoke either

[proseccoaficionado]

@Oysterbabe long haul flights are the worst. I always find myself looking desperately for smoking lounges

[proseccoaficionado]

Also I believe it will be a big plus that I don't really drink alcohol or coffee. I do drink that bloody garbage diet coke which I use it when I'm smoking.

Know what? I'm quitting Diet coke too.

[user1466783975]

I gave up three years ago and started to vape ( one called Blu they sell at the co op,it's small,discreet and cheap).The liquid I get from places like home bargains for under a pound. I haven't craved a cig since.

Good luck in whatever way you chose to give up x