February 26, 201511 yr So... I quit smoking just over 2 years ago now... I've been trying to work out what's changed in my life, I still have the same girlfriend (who incidentally is still awesome and still has a lovely bottom). I have the same job, same car, different bike (cycle), my boy is 2 years older. In my initial quit the cycling was really good, you could feel and time the improvement as you realised your lungs were working better, my cycles to work got faster, my recovery times got shorter, my recordings (which I do with a helmet cam) were quite telling with the breathing, the wheeze is gone. I'm tempted to upload a new video of me going flat out just so you can hear me heavy breathing in a very sexy way... and by sexy I mean not at all sexy... in fact it's more like I'm about to vomit... which I think could actually be pretty sexy if people like puke... but... I digress... But... The difference aside from all the kind of obvious stuff (breathing better, taste better, smell better etc.) is that I don't worry about it, I don't worry about where the next smoke is coming from, I went to Mexico recently, it was an 11 hour flight, I didn't even consider when and where I could smoke or plan out before I get on the plane, when I get off, and where and what I'm going to do. Everything is easier, no stock piling before Christmas just in case a shop isn't open, no desperately trying to 'borrow' a smoke from someone, no trying to light a cigarette with your last match and if you fail you're going to have to drive 100 metres to the shop because it's too much effort to walk. Huddling in corners or under your coat trying to light a cigarette on a windy day, huddling under a tree with your smoking buddies on a rainy day. So for all those people planning on quitting, do so, it makes your life a truck load easier. Oh and bizarrely when you pass a group of smokers, you just feel pity, not envy.
February 26, 201511 yr So... I quit smoking just over 2 years ago now... I've been trying to work out what's changed in my life, I still have the same girlfriend (who incidentally is still awesome and still has a lovely bottom). I have the same job, same car, different bike (cycle), my boy is 2 years older. In my initial quit the cycling was really good, you could feel and time the improvement as you realised your lungs were working better, my cycles to work got faster, my recovery times got shorter, my recordings (which I do with a helmet cam) were quite telling with the breathing, the wheeze is gone. I'm tempted to upload a new video of me going flat out just so you can hear me heavy breathing in a very sexy way... and by sexy I mean not at all sexy... in fact it's more like I'm about to vomit... which I think could actually be pretty sexy if people like puke... but... I digress... But... The difference aside from all the kind of obvious stuff (breathing better, taste better, smell better etc.) is that I don't worry about it, I don't worry about where the next smoke is coming from, I went to Mexico recently, it was an 11 hour flight, I didn't even consider when and where I could smoke or plan out before I get on the plane, when I get off, and where and what I'm going to do. Everything is easier, no stock piling before Christmas just in case a shop isn't open, no desperately trying to 'borrow' a smoke from someone, no trying to light a cigarette with your last match and if you fail you're going to have to drive 100 metres to the shop because it's too much effort to walk. Huddling in corners or under your coat trying to light a cigarette on a windy day, huddling under a tree with your smoking buddies on a rainy day. So for all those people planning on quitting, do so, it makes your life a truck load easier. Oh and bizarrely when you pass a group of smokers, you just feel pity, not envy. Nice to read early on in my quit. I'm ashamed to say how many flights I almost missed, or actually MISSED because I was smoking in some dingy far corner of the airport. Really lovely read, made me laugh, too, and laughter is great medicine early on...cpk :wub:
February 26, 201511 yr So happy for you Rob....isn't freedom wonderful??? Never going back to the chains...no way! congrats on 2 years!!
February 26, 201511 yr Great Post Rob, so positive to read, thanks for sharing and congratulations on 2 years xx
February 27, 201511 yr Author And one more thing to add is about relapse I guess... I've been through a load of stressful situations over these years and I have certainly had the thought "Balls to this I'm having a smoke" But I know a smoke won't help, so you need another mechanism to deal with stress / anger / frustration. Throwing things across the room is a bit of a faux pas in an office so I usually find it's best just to go for a walk and mull it over, come up with the solution and then return to what you were doing. Probably easier said than done, I mean, it's a bit weird getting up from your desk and going for a walk... but then is it any more weird than getting up from your desk and going for a smoke? Not really, it's just that it's bizarrely a socially accepted thing to go for a smoke, but to walk away for a think is crazy talk! Anyway, not smoking is far easier than smoking.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.