Benefits of giving up smoking

dubgirl15

Hi, I thought it might be helpful for those of us trying to give up if those who have already given up listed the benefits or changes for them. I know there are many obvious benefits money, fitness etc but maybe ther are others that some of you noticed and i might just be the motivation everyone else needs to keep going!!

Carturo

Eh...you'll live longer (if somethin' else doesn't get ya). How much more motivation do you need?!

It's not easy though!

dubgirl15

How long does it take to start noticing the effects of giving up? I always fail around day 2-3

Tzetze

Here's a breakdown of the body's reparation process (cut n pasted from another thread);

20 MINUTES
· Your blood pressure returns to its usual level.
· Your pulse rate slows to normal
· Your circulation has improved enough that your hands and feet warm to normal temperature.

4 HOURS
· Half the carbon monoxide from your last cigarette has left your bloodstream

8 HOURS
· The carbon monoxide from your last cigarette is now gone from your bloodstream
· Your blood now carries a normal amount of oxygen.

24 HOURS
· Your chance of a heart attack is lower.

48 HOURS
· Damaged nerve endings start to regrow.
· Your sense of smell and taste have improved

2 WEEKS TO MONTH
· Your circulation is better
· Walking is easier
· Lung function increases up to 30%

1 TO 9 MONTHS
· You cough less
· Your sinuses are clearer
· You have more energy
· You don't become short of breath as easily
· The cilia regrow in your lungs, so you will have less phlegm and less infection

1 YEAR
· Your heart attack risk has fallen to the halfway mark between that of a current smoker and that of someone who never smoked.

5 YEARS
· If you used to smoke a pack a day, you have now cut your risk of dying of lung cancer in half.
· Your risk of heart attack and stroke is approaching that of a nonsmoker
· You have cut your risk of mouth, throat, and esophageal cancer by half.

10 YEARS
· Your chance of dying of lung cancer is almost as low as a nonsmoker's
· Your risk of mouth, throat, and esophageal, bladder, kidney and pancreatic cancer continues to fall.

10 TO 15 YEARS
· Your risk of dying from any cause is almost the same as that of someone who never smoked.

the GALL

that last post is quite good
If you can last a week(physically) you'll start to feel the benifits

VH

you will smell a lot better to others
the car windscreen won't get greasy
the ceilings and doors in your house/apartment will stay white longer

You won't stink. Seriously, smokers have no idea of how bad they smell until they quit. I was shocked when I realised I had stank like that!

No more yellow skin, teeth, nails. Quit for pure vanity's sake if nothing else, smoking is crap for your looks.

Smokers don't run marathons/climb Everest. In fact, most smokers don't do much exercise at all. Quitting opens up a whole new set of lungs for you to try something you haven't done before!

The joys of getting on a plane to Australia and knowing you won't be gasping for a fag when you get there. This was a huge plus for me. Travelling is so much easier when you don't smoke.
In fact, life is so much easier when you don't have to keep punctuating your day for cigarettes.

Karen_*

Carturo wrote: »

Eh...you'll live longer (if somethin' else doesn't get ya). How much more motivation do you need?!

It's not easy though!

You might not need motivation but I'm sure everyone else does:)

dubgirl15

Well its day 4 for me and i am noticing a definite improvement in my breathing and sense of smell. I have also noticed the money im saving, apart from the actual smokes money as im not going to the shop i dont end up buying chewing gum, mints, a drink, a magazine etc etc!! Its also nice not having to worry that i always have mints on me so i dont stink of fags as much! I have started going to the gym this week and i know feel like my evenings are alot longer because im actually doing something instead of just sitting on the couch smoking!

lly

Hi

This is day 1 of a new attempt to give up smoking.
I am fed up of smoking and want to feel more energtic and healthier... and also not smell so bad.
Spotted this post today and thought it would be great to help each other.
Good luck to the rest of you....

gstar

i think the money benefits are really hitting home for me. I get paid on the 22nd of each month and today is the 26th and I haven't been to the ATM since at least the 20th. when you give up, the money wasted on smoking can shocking, enough to keep me off them anyway.... I know I am getting slightly ahead of myself, but am off to spend my "smoking" money shortly on a ps3 (and a new tv if the price is right! :eek: ). i'll have recouped the cost in no time with the money i'm saving.... It'll also kill the boredom time for me :P

A big benefit will be not having to brave the wilds of winter when you are in work/pub/restaurant just to get a nicotine hit! speaking of eating etc, food is going to taste so much better too

krissie

Deleted User wrote: »

You won't stink. Seriously, smokers have no idea of how bad they smell until they quit. I was shocked when I realised I had stank like that!

No more yellow skin, teeth, nails. Quit for pure vanity's sake if nothing else, smoking is crap for your looks.

Smokers don't run marathons/climb Everest. In fact, most smokers don't do much exercise at all. Quitting opens up a whole new set of lungs for you to try something you haven't done before!

The joys of getting on a plane to Australia and knowing you won't be gasping for a fag when you get there. This was a huge plus for me. Travelling is so much easier when you don't smoke.
In fact, life is so much easier when you don't have to keep punctuating your day for cigarettes.

i so completely agree with all of this!! of all the times i've been on the train trying to sneak out for a crafty ciggy during the longer stops, worrying if i make it back into the train before it takes off! also, i love no longer having yellow fingernails (eww)

Sligome

ok so i am three months off them and i bought a box of ciggs yesterday, sat down to enjoy one and hated it, made myself smoke it all but it absolutly sickened me, so i threw them away.

i have never felt healthier, i did put a bit of weight on but not much, skin is better, hair is better, house doesnt smell, clothes dont smell, more energy, everything is just better


but i still love them, for helping me through the tough times

toiletduck

Deleted User wrote: »

In fact, most smokers don't do much exercise at all.

That's a ridiculous statement.

In fact, life is so much easier when you don't have to keep punctuating your day for cigarettes.

Tbh that's one of the hardest things for me to get over when I contemplate quitting. I mean having set times for going out for in during the day, then keeping to my no smoking at home and at work in the pub on the weekends getting to go out for some fresh air :pac: I've just gotten into a routine in these which will be the hardest of all to shake I reckon. If for example I have a random day e.g. off work, travelling then I have no difficulty in forgetting about smoking and can go 2 or 3 days without noticing but put me in the other situations in which I've associated with smoking and it's a different story...

Jeapy

My top 5
1. Feeling of self worth. I quit at 3am on 1st Jan 2007 and Im so proud of myself for doing it. I honestly never believed I would be able.
2. Money. Its amazing how much you save and how soon you begin to notice. After 6 months of non-smoking, I'd saved enough for a return flight to New York.
3. Fitness. Well not fitness-I'm still unfit! But at least now I can run up a stairs and not feel like I'm gonna die!
4. Smell. If I'm around smokers now, I can smell it on my hair, my clothes, my skin and it makes me feel so dirty!
5. Taste. Green extra taste sooooo good now!

Downside
1. Weight. I put on over a stone within no length-hey i was underweight anyway so no harm! I ate a lot to try to deal with cravings!
2. Exam time. It's pretty stressful without them!

Overall, I can't tell any of you how great it is to be free from Nicotine! For the most part, I don't even think about cigarettes. I do dream about them sometimes though!

toiletduck

toiletduck wrote: »

That's a ridiculous statement.

As with most things in life, you can only go on your own experiences.
In my experience, of all the smokers I've known in my life, most of them were not the exercising type.
It's hard to bust a lung when your lung function is crap from smoking. I know, I fooled myself long enough.

toiletduck wrote: »

Tbh that's one of the hardest things for me to get over when I contemplate quitting.

Best of luck with it.

bing3

The money grabbing clowns in government get less revenue to fritter away.:p
Seriously just quit out of spite!
Am off them since monday using patches and sweets. Still feeling lousy and not looking forward to this weekend but am quitting for good this time....

Evil-p

bing3 wrote: »

The money grabbing clowns in government get less revenue to fritter away.:p
Seriously just quit out of spite!
Am off them since monday using patches and sweets. Still feeling lousy and not looking forward to this weekend but am quitting for good this time....

Hi, Just saw your post and wanted to offer some encouragement. i'm off them 35 days today. It was my second time giving up, the first time lasted 3 days . I smoked at least 20 a day for 8 years and less throughout my school years. Well done for being off them 48 hours particularly if your going cold turkey! It does get easier. I still have bad days now though and am shocked at how pi**ed off i can feel with people out of the blue! It also feels like i gave up tolerence the day i gave up smoking If i was you i'd avoid going drinking for a week or 2 till you are over the worst of it. When i have a bad say i just think that i am not going through this again, I refust to spend years giving up...i quit now and i'm going to stick with it. My live is partner is a smoker but suprisingly thats not upsetting me!! Best of luck and let me know if i can help!!

Congrats on being a non-smoker! :pac:

bing3

Evil-p wrote: »

Hi, Just saw your post and wanted to offer some encouragement. i'm off them 35 days today. It was my second time giving up, the first time lasted 3 days . I smoked at least 20 a day for 8 years and less throughout my school years. Well done for being off them 48 hours particularly if your going cold turkey! It does get easier. I still have bad days now though and am shocked at how pi**ed off i can feel with people out of the blue! It also feels like i gave up tolerence the day i gave up smoking If i was you i'd avoid going drinking for a week or 2 till you are over the worst of it. When i have a bad say i just think that i am not going through this again, I refust to spend years giving up...i quit now and i'm going to stick with it. My live is partner is a smoker but suprisingly thats not upsetting me!! Best of luck and let me know if i can help!!

Congrats on being a non-smoker! :pac:

Thanks a million Evil-P.
The cyber encouragement really helps as I am trying not to make a big deal of it by telling everyone just in case i relapse.
Congratulations on quitting and for sticking with it. I have quit a few times before ranging from 3 to 10 months but i find myself slipping back in at big occasions like holidays abroad, stag weekends, weddings etc.
Will stay away from the local for a couple of weekends and see how it goes from there .
Thanks again.

GG66

I was a heavy smoker and gave up over 6 years ago. Apart from all of the reasons already mentioned health finance etc the onw thing that kept me going while trying to quit was:

The will to regain control over my own mind

Seriously, every time my brain told me I needed a cigarette, I had to remind myself that it was the nicotine telling my brain to tell me. And then deny the b***ard.

It also helped to think of all the scumbags who were getting rich off my addiction..

Also tried to drink water when I got the urge, think I used to smoke a lot as a fidget and this replaced the hand to mouth fidget. Alos helps to clean out your system.

Good luck with it

GG66

bing3 wrote: »

Will stay away from the local for a couple of weekends and see how it goes from there .

I found that sticking to usual habits worked for me. Then I wasn't confronted with it suddenly after weeks of avoiding it...

I've also read that prior to quiting you should cut out smoking in the usual suspect scenarios i.e. Pub, after coffee, after a good sh*g. It's okay to smoke at other times but cut down as well.

Then when you do quit the above scenarios aren't as difficult.

Captain Slow IRL

Jeapy wrote: »

My top 5
1. Feeling of self worth. I quit at 3am on 1st Jan 2007 and Im so proud of myself for doing it. I honestly never believed I would be able.
2. Money. Its amazing how much you save and how soon you begin to notice. After 6 months of non-smoking, I'd saved enough for a return flight to New York.
3. Fitness. Well not fitness-I'm still unfit! But at least now I can run up a stairs and not feel like I'm gonna die!
4. Smell. If I'm around smokers now, I can smell it on my hair, my clothes, my skin and it makes me feel so dirty!
5. Taste. Green extra taste sooooo good now!

Downside
1. Weight. I put on over a stone within no length-hey i was underweight anyway so no harm! I ate a lot to try to deal with cravings!
2. Exam time. It's pretty stressful without them!

Overall, I can't tell any of you how great it is to be free from Nicotine! For the most part, I don't even think about cigarettes. I do dream about them sometimes though!

Everything he said!
Regarding the weight gain as a downside - I put on a crap-load of weight, but am on the way back down now. You just gotta watch what you eat, greasy take-out's a no-no!

I've had countless dreams, very vivid - woke up several times convinced I had smoked, followed by feelings of guilt and remorse - then I wake up!

GG66 wrote: »

I found that sticking to usual habits worked for me. Then I wasn't confronted with it suddenly after weeks of avoiding it...

I've also read that prior to quiting you should cut out smoking in the usual suspect scenarios i.e. Pub, after coffee, after a good sh*g. It's okay to smoke at other times but cut down as well.

Then when you do quit the above scenarios aren't as difficult.

Yeah, when your friends go out for a cig, wait inside - the first time I went to a pub after I quit, I was with a group of smokers. Didn't notice til cig time came - I was left at the bar on me own! And the smell off them when they came back!

41 weeks off them tomorrow!

GG66

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

Yeah, when your friends go out for a cig, wait inside - the first time I went to a pub after I quit, I was with a group of smokers. Didn't notice til cig time came - I was left at the bar on me own! And the smell off them when they came back!

Two weeks after my wife quit she noticed the smell of other smokers and couldn't believe that she had smelled like that. Like most women she spends a fair bit on looking and smelling good and then she goes off and smokes fags.....

GG66

Qwitters may find this interesting

http://qwitter.tobaccofreeflorida.com/

Luke G

Deleted User wrote: »

You won't stink. Seriously, smokers have no idea of how bad they smell until they quit. I was shocked when I realised I had stank like that!

No more yellow skin, teeth, nails. Quit for pure vanity's sake if nothing else, smoking is crap for your looks.

Smokers don't run marathons/climb Everest. In fact, most smokers don't do much exercise at all. Quitting opens up a whole new set of lungs for you to try something you haven't done before!

The joys of getting on a plane to Australia and knowing you won't be gasping for a fag when you get there. This was a huge plus for me. Travelling is so much easier when you don't smoke.
In fact, life is so much easier when you don't have to keep punctuating your day for cigarettes.

What a lot of people don't know is that nicotine can stimulate your mentality briefly and this causes your stress/ anxiety and can lower your energy levels...

Jeapy

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

Everything he said!
Regarding the weight gain as a downside - I put on a crap-load of weight, but am on the way back down now. You just gotta watch what you eat, greasy take-out's a no-no!

I've had countless dreams, very vivid - woke up several times convinced I had smoked, followed by feelings of guilt and remorse - then I wake up!

Lol, why does everyone on boards think im a guy! Ya, i stuffed my face on pasta, rice etc-waaaaaay too much carbs! Had to give away all of my clothes but it was all worth it!
I'd say I dream about it at least once a week lately, like you said really vividly! Im really stressed with college though and can frequently be found holding and flicking my pen like a cigarette in the library!

Captain Slow IRL

Jeapy wrote: »

Lol, why does everyone on boards think im a guy!

Sorry, don't take it personally!:o

Biggest benefit for me is the fact that your life doesn't revolve around availability of tobacco (think driving to petrol stations / 24 hour shops at 1am etc..). You actually become a lot calmer as a person due to not "dying for a cigarette". A cigarette is only relieving the effects of addiction and you'll be back there in an hour or so again so it's not actually helping you relax...

Galmay

Hey guys agree with most of whats said above. Im off them a year on January 1st! Smoked 20 a day for ten yrs beforehand. Just used willpower as I believe its the only thing you really need to give up. If u dont have the willpower then u wont be able to give up. Simple as that
First 3 months are a long hard slog but afterwards are very rewarding. My advice is don't shy away from your usual routine, go to the pub, have your cup of tea/coffee dont put off anything that you believe might slip you up. The longer you put them off, the bigger an obstacle they become in your head.Especially with me as all my mates are smokers!
Filling the evenings was the hardest part, most smokers are usually found on the couch in the evenings. I went for a long walk or drive the first couple weeks to distract my mind. It became easier after the next few weeks.
Best things - I dont stink. My clothes dont stink! Never realised how awful it is!
Money - bought myself nice things, LCD telly, iphone etc 20 a day at 8.05 a pack saved me 2800 so far!
Freedom - more space in pocket - no 20 pack and zippo! Not structuring my life around smoking - ie breakfast, tea breaks, lunch, dinner, werent about food but have I time for a 2nd fag. Have I enough fags for the night will I run down to the shop now or wait till morning. Loads more genuinely FREE time!!
Socialising - have to admit first few months are harder cause u dont want to smoke but u have cravings so ur not as talkative when ur out, plus ur likely to get hammered the first few nights because ur not getting a break from drinking going out for a smoke and prob drinking quicker too to distract urself! U have to find ur limit again! Or increase it! But its a good thing too, if u stay off them one night when ur hammered it'll increase ur confidence hugely. If u cant, have a cigar instead, u may look like a tit but it'll give u something to do without actually having a cigarette

All I can say is that while I loved smoking, giving up was one of the best things Ive ever done for myself. Everyone who knows me says if a committed smoker like me could do it, anyone can (unfortunately they havent tried it themselves yet but its still true!)

Good Luck!