3 weeks done

EGAR

After 26 years of a pack or more a day habit - I quit cold turkey 3 weeks ago. No gum, no books, no motivation other than whats in my head.

I gained some weight but nothing I can't handle since I lead an active life anyway and now even more so .

However, I was wondering when are the senses of smell and taste returning?

Broad

I was 20 a day at the start, 40 + a day by the time I stopped 2 1/2 stone ago that's three years. Had smoked for 24 years. Am truly over it now know I will never go back, but that first year I would still get the wanting to smoke thing going after dinner or with cup of tea in the morning or even looking at the wine in the supermarket, even theough the nicotine was long out of the system.

It took nine months for lung capacity and flexibility to become excellent, and I had not known they were compromised. Only three months for the sense of smell to come back, and come back it did with a crash - suddenly kids runners previously unnoticed were located by smell alone - it was like a rebound thing. I can smell tobacco at a hundred feet. Unfortunately recently located through scent alone in my sixteen year olds room . Taste vastly improved though gradually, not like the smell. Realised had been using too much salt to make everything tastier.

Get more sore throats now, doctor says is because the smoke is not killing the bacteria and am having to kill them myself. Immune system re-learning. Small price to pay for lessened risk of throat cancer.

Good luck! Giving up is not fun but much more fun than emphysema!

Wreck

I'm almost 18 months off them now, and the change in smell and taste was very much a gradual thing for me. Good food now tastes great, and fast food is so much less appealing to me now. The thing that really drives it home is the smell of other smokers though, it's unreal sometimes and I would never ever have noticed it before.

dollyk

well done, how did you get it into your head after soo many years addict:rolleyes:ed

EGAR

how did you get it into your head after soo many years addict

TBH, that is a complete mystery to me. I never contemplated stopping, never tried it before and would tear the head off you if you'd suggested it to me. I was sitting in my kitchen at 11pm that night, smoked half a cigarette, took the half full pack and put it in the cupboard and that was it.

I kept the open pack for 2 weeks to prevent panic on my part and I haven't looked back. I doubt highly that I will ever smoke again.