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

@Highginx Touche. Point taken. Thank you

@Silentlyhappy Don't tell me you actually feel your lungs different??? That's 😱😱😱

I have not been really sick since , or had a chest infection . I don’t cough anymore or cough up phglem

I have also got much fitter and cycle to work daily which has many benefits too

I have also reduced my wine

I do smoke e cigs furiously though

I shall join too. This is attempt number 4 at giving up smoking. My downfall every time has been alcohol. As soon as I have a drink, I reach for the cigs. I gave up for 3 months last year, 2 years a few years ago and 18 months a few years before that. This time is the time.
I use the smoke free app which is quite good as it tells you the benefits each day and how much money you're saving.
I just keep telling myself that I am not giving up something, I'm freeing myself from a controlling substance.
For me, I find it hard to see benefits per se. I only smoke 6 a day and everytime I have quit, I have not felt any better. Tbf I don't feel unhealthy now, I run easily and never get ill (touch wood!!!) but I hate having to hide it from my children. Sneaking off to have a fag. I am scared about losing my teeth.
I'm on day 3. I feel fine, don't crave them at all but as experience has shown me, the first few weeks are easy for me.... Its after 2/3 months I struggle. Is anyone else the same?

Gained 3 stone and lost a husband

Not me but my DPs when I was a kid smoked and gave up when I was around 10... here's what I remember - the smell went! I hated the smell of smoke on clothes. The dirty ashtrays went - I still get queasy when I see one. We had more money! Overnight we were better off ( they were on 10-2- a day each). My dad's cough went. Mum took up a sport that she wouldn't do before as she got too breathless. Mum's skin was amazing after a few weeks of not smoking - people asked her what cream she was using etc. dad looked a lot less 'tired'. We didn't have to interrupt journeys so they could have a smoke, no more hanging around waiting for them to have a smoke before/after an event etc.
I'm absolutely convinced that DF wouldn't be alive now ( mid 60s) if he was still smoking. He has other health issues and the combination would have killed him for sure. Both his parents died young of lung cancer.

@Newbeginnings2019 congrats!!! 🎉🎉🎉
@Gianna123 is it good that you lost a husband or bad?
@Canibuildasnowman that's amazing! I never realised what kind of impact smoking has on your children (I don't have any) but soon will think about ttc and is really important to me that my children grow in a smoke free environment

Freedom from the habit.
I see habitual smokers as in prison because they don't choose when to have one

I don't constantly worry about getting cancer. I had a nagging sense of fear and anxiety about that ALL THE TIME when I smoked, and now it's gone!

Anxiety in general has gone waaaayy down.

I look/smell/feel/sound better/sexier.

@proseccoaficionado sorry for being a misery. In a post Christmas grump today. Will never regret giving up smoking and hugely recommend the Allen Carr book. It made it so easy. But yes I did put on weight which was my own fault of course. With a much better husband now. Best of luck to you.

@Gianna123 no problem at all, thanks for the advice. I think we're all in a post Christmas grump lol. Glad to hear you're happy now, though!🥂

@Zevitevitchofcwsmas now that you put it that way it actually makes sense. The cig controls me, for sure
@DoYouLikeBasghetti so did you voice actually change after you quit? Mine is .... not even sure but sure as hell is not a great voice

I am on day 42 on my 3rd quit. First one 26 months, second time 7 months. Quite determined to stay off them this time!

I noticed clearer skin, easier breathing, better sense of smell (taste never changed for me) but most of all more time, the amount of time wasted either smoking or thinking about smoking is quite shocking.

Things to try are help forums (just quit is good), a good quit app on your phone and avoiding smokers and nights out drinking for a while. I read that some weight gain is inevitable as smokers have a faster metabolism than non smokers so also be mindful of snacking.

Good luck.

@Jayne35 well done! I hope it turns out well for you.

You're right. I think an awful lot about smoking. It's actually scary.

I gave up 12 years ago after reading Allen Carr's easyway for women. It's the best thing I have ever done, I don't miss it one bit. The first week is the hardest as you're breaking a habit, but after that it gets easier and you will have so much more time when you're not organising your whole life around your next cigarette. When I look back it's like I was a completely different person, I didn't want my daughter growing up seeing me smoking and I also felt guilty for literally burning money every time I lit up. Just keep telling yourself "I'm not going to smoke today" and before you know it a day will be a month and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about! Good luck!

I think it's all about breaking the habit and very little to do with the substance. I created a list of 50 things to do with 5 minutes when I stopped. I found it helpful. Eg clean out one kitchen drawer, weed the garden for 5, pluck my eyebrows. It has to be stuff which works for you.

Also I sometimes smoked when I was stressed, and inevitably told myself the smoking was helping with the stress. I downloaded a 3 minute nature recording which relaxed me, and also started to use a short session meditation app.

@pinkcarnations I really hope you are right. You sound so optimistic, I love it!!! Thank you
@Yearofthemum the things list is purely amazing. I made one myself. So far I have: clean out a kitchen/living room drawer (stole that from you), organise my make-ip/jewelry, laundry, drink a large glass of water, 10 situps. Sounds great.

Also the meditation thing was a great tip as I am planning for ages to start meditation/yoga/mindfulness. So I guess quitting smoking & meditation go hand in hand. Thank you!

Day 2 nearly done. Helped by being really unwell last night/today so haven’t really missed a smoke! Hasn’t been too bad but I’m taking the hermit approach and just watching films under blankets with my dd while I feel this lousy!

@Zofloramummy sorry to hear you've been unwell, but YAY for day 2!!!🎉🎉🎉

Please keep posting here once in a while if it helps

Not much. Nice not to worry about dying early in regret though.

Used to smoke 30/40 a day for over 20 years but was somehow relatively "fit" with it as I did alot of cycling and climbing

Gave up, via vape, and the difference to my fitness levels after only 2-3 months were incredible. Lung capacity increased massively and I found my stamina and endurance went up loads in climbing and possibly I get less tendon type injuries but kinda hard top quantify that one

Oh yeah, now haven't smoked for 5 years. I still vape but I don't plan to stop, primary reason for stopping was financial

Yay! - congratulations. This is the best decision you can make for your health.

I gave up through not wanting to be dependant on a habit. The trigger was an almighty hangover and a few weeks later I fell pregnant so I didn't miss smoking, not one bit.

I'm desperately happy to have given up and desperately sad I didn't do it sooner. The best bit about giving up is looking at the lung cancer risk graph dropping each year of abstinence (I lost a close-ish friend to lung cancer so...it is a horrible way to go.)

I gave up 17 years ago after I found out I was pregnant, I used to smoke a lot and loved it but I haven't had a single drag in 17 years, I still miss it but there's no way I'd go back now
Try sugar free gum, it definitely helped me in the initial week or so