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Hello, guys!
Long time since I last wrote a blog here in this wonderful network, called bitLanders. I almost forgot how to write. :D The thing is, I was so busy and absorbed in my new project I'm working on and also trying to keep in touch with all friends, and I couldn't really find the energy and the will to complete a post. And then it comes the topic - you know - the issue most users have here is choosing a topic they can be helpful with and are knowledgeable about.
That being said, I was thinking to write on the "quit smoking" topic for a long time now but honestly, I was waiting for more time to pass since I quit that myself. Currently, it's been 11 months and 11 days since I stopped smoking altogether. Okay, to be completely honest, I was tempted huge one a few months back, but the result was only two and a half cigarettes, and I was able to prevent myself from starting this habit once again. And of course, I can't describe how grateful I am for being able to live "smoke-free".
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream.
Most commonly the substance is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant which have been rolled into a small square of rice paper to create a small, round cylinder called a "cigarette".
Before I tell you how my life changed during those months, the first thing I want to do is to sincerely thank my dear friend (I'm not mentioning names here, but he knows who he is) for supporting me and inspiring me for quitting and maintaining a better health since I stopped. Indeed, sometimes what I really need is someone to push me and point me just a little bit so that I can see things clearly. Thanks for that!
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Now, getting into the fun part, let's see what happens after quitting cigarettes:
Less smell, Less smoke
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The first obvious change after quitting which will be noticed in the first days is that bad smell is gone. Clothes don't smell anymore, breath doesn't smell like cigarettes and this is beneficial not only to you but also to the people around you. Even if most smokers don't really mind the smell of smoke, for a non-smoker it's quite a lot of stress to spend time close to their friends-smokers. So, definitely, this is a great advantage after you quit.
More money, More savings
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Okay, before I tell you why, you need to know that this one is absolutely overrated. Yes, cigarettes are expensive, especially compared to other good, food, etc. A regular smoker spends for this habit every single day. But... you can't really save money after stop spending them on smoking. Or at least, I didn't. Guess what? After you stop spending for something, you just start spending for something else, and at the end of the day, expenses are still the same. So, if you are planning to quit smoking in order to save money, you'd better find a better reason because this might not be the best motivation. If this is the sole reason, you're risking starting again after you realize that you haven't saved anything.
Better health, Longer life
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Uhm... okay, this one is unprovable. We can't really know if your health would be better or your life would be longer. Yeah, I know there are statistics which are so accurate and so trustworthy but let's face reality here. There are too many other factors which influence health and lifespan that we simply can't know for sure if quitting cigarettes will have some effect, more effect or insignificant to none effect on any of those. Nevertheless, I agree it's a good motivation for people who believe that and a great promotion for the cause of improving people's health. From my personal experience, I haven't noticed any drastic change in my health condition, being a smoker for nine years, but I don't deny there might be an improvement I'm not aware of and not notice.
More time, Better habits
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Yup - not true. You know, some bloggers online give the advice to find a hobby to keep busy and prevent you from lighting up the next one. However, you don't really have the guarantee that your next hobby will be more creative. That's only if you have the will to do it and intentionally search for something useful. Otherwise, you might end up doing something as harmful or even more than the one you gave up.
Another fact, that is I find hard to believe even now, is that after quitting smoking, I'm busier than ever. I truly believed that after I stop, I'll have this extra hour that I was wasting for my habit, but this is simply not the case. And I find it difficult to understand why it feels this way. Might be for two reasons - cigarettes were creating a kind of a schedule and a sense of time in my mind. Those interruptions in my everyday routine were keeping me away from stress. And the second one - the effect of nicotine which I'm not going to describe in detail (smokers know what I'm talking about).
Younger skin, Whiter teeth
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Younger skin - yesss, whiter teeth - nope. Well, my skin is very sensitive, I can't tell if the lack of smoke will have a similar effect on other skin types, but I can feel that my skin is somehow in a better condition than before. For the obvious reason that my face is no longer exposed every day to the smoke. I still suffer from the dirt in the air but that's unavoidable nowadays, so can't really complain.
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In regards to whiter teeth, I can't fully understand what that means. Truth is, every person is born with certain complexion, a color of the skin, a degree of whiteness of the teeth, tint, a color of the hair, pigmentation, etc. To state that quitting cigarettes will enhance the whiteness of your teeth is almost same as saying that you will wake up with pink hair tomorrow if you dream about unicorns. :D Okay, not that much, but... teeth can't be whiter than the color you were born with, no matter what you do. Nice try, though...
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Hmm... quite a bit advantages, I think they are enough to consider giving up. Even if I'm not a smoker anymore, I still have a doubt that cigarettes are really THAT harmful, compared to all other harmful things a person might do in his/her life. Maybe I kind of maintained the "smoker's mindset", but it is as it is. Not to get you confused, I have no intention starting again, not after I saw the positives, experienced them, and being able to resist for so long. Soon it will be a full year, and I'm planning on making a small celebration about it.
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At the end, I also want to give you an insight regarding how I was able to quit. Actually, I had a big helper in my mission - I bought an electronic cigarette, and this was the trigger that helped me in ending the habit. In the beginning, I was smoking liquid with nicotine, then I bought nicotine-free one, and a month later it was not even interesting for me and I gave the electronic one up as well.
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I really hope you found this topic and post useful, and wish you a great week! If you have any questions, please feel free to post in the comments. Other than that, see you in my next blog!
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Thanks for reading!
- NinaB
