One Year Ago Today, I stopped smokingu

[ch willie]

I wish I could say I quit 4 decades ago, but at least I finally quit. And I know I'll never smoke again. My mom died of lung cancer, and of course, it was a horrible thing, so that and a plea from my daughter--well, those made me finally break. And the sad thing? Quitting wasn't the horrible ordeal I had expected it to be; I could have quit all those years ago. Last year, I just made up my mind, did it, hurt for a cig for a couple of weeks, and that was it. Lots of cravings, but I get into whatever I'm doing, and I forget the craving as fast as it came on.

There is life after Drum rolling tobacco.

[DanTheBluesMan]

good for you, the first year is a huge milestone. I'm coming up on 10 years this July. Don't want to jinx myself. I was also rolling Drum.

[OldStrummer]

Congratulations, Bill! I've heard it said that there are three bodily organs that can be 100% revitalized if they aren't irreparably damaged: The skin, the liver, and the lungs. The common knowledge (science?) says that after ten years, your lungs will exhibit no sign that you ever smoked. Although slightly long, here is a timeline of lung recovery from Medical News Today:
After 1 hour
In as little as 20 minutes after the last cigarette is smoked, the heart rate drops and returns to normal. Blood pressure begins to drop, and circulation may start to improve.
After 12 hours
Cigarettes contain a lot of known toxins including carbon monoxide, a gas present in cigarette smoke.
This gas can be harmful or fatal in high doses and prevents oxygen from entering the lungs and blood. When inhaled in large doses in a short time, suffocation can occur from lack of oxygen.
After just 12 hours without a cigarette, the body cleanses itself of the excess carbon monoxide from the cigarettes. The carbon monoxide level returns to normal, increasing the body’s oxygen levels.
After 1 day
Just 1 day after quitting smoking, the risk of heart attack begins to decrease.
Smoking raises the risk of developing coronary heart disease by lowering good cholesterol, which makes heart-healthy exercise harder to do. Smoking also raises blood pressure and increases blood clots, increasing the risk of stroke.
In as little as 1 day after quitting smoking, a person’s blood pressure begins to drop, decreasing the risk of heart disease from smoking-induced high blood pressure. In this short time, a person’s oxygen levels will have risen, making physical activity and exercise easier to do, promoting heart-healthy habits.
After 2 days
Smoking damages the nerve endings responsible for the senses of smell and taste. In as little as 2 days after quitting, a person may notice a heightened sense of smell and more vivid tastes as these nerves heal.
After 3 days
3 days after quitting smoking, the nicotine levels in a person’s body are depleted. While it is healthier to have no nicotine in the body, this initial depletion can cause nicotine withdrawal. Around 3 days after quitting, most people will experience moodiness and irritability, severe headaches, and cravings as the body readjusts.
After 1 month
In as little as 1 month, a person’s lung function begins to improve. As the lungs heal and lung capacity improves, former smokers may notice less coughing and shortness of breath. Athletic endurance increases and former smokers may notice a renewed ability for cardiovascular activities, such as running and jumping.
After 1-3 months
For the next several months after quitting, circulation continues to improve.
After 9 months
Nine months after quitting, the lungs have significantly healed themselves. The delicate, hair-like structures inside the lungs known as cilia have recovered from the toll cigarette smoke took on them. These structures help push mucus out of the lungs and help fight infections.
Around this time, many former smokers notice a decrease in the frequency of lung infections because the healed cilia can do their job more easily.
After 1 year
One year after quitting smoking, a person’s risk for coronary heart disease decreases by half. This risk will continue to drop past the 1-year mark.
After 5 years
Cigarettes contain many known toxins that cause the arteries and blood vessels to narrow. These same toxins also increase the likelihood of developing blood clots.
After 5 years without smoking, the body has healed itself enough for the arteries and blood vessels to begin to widen again. This widening means the blood is less likely to clot, lowering the risk of stroke.
The risk of stroke will continue to reduce over the next 10 years as the body heals more and more.
After 10 years
After 10 years, a person’s chances of developing lung cancer and dying from it are roughly cut in half compared with someone who continues to smoke. The likelihood of developing mouth, throat, or pancreatic cancer has significantly reduced.
After 15 years
After 15 years of having quit smoking, the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease is the equivalent of a non-smoker. Similarly, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer has reduced to the same level as a non-smoker.
After 20 years
After 20 years, the risk of death from smoking-related causes, including both lung disease and cancer, drops to the level of a person who has never smoked in their life. Also, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer has reduced to that of someone who has never smoked

Next year will mark 30 years for me.

[Bill Moore]

I hope your timeline is correct!
I quit almost 25 years ago, but do have some issues, the VA says maybe related to asbestos exposure. I've once again tried to get to the bottom of my low oxygen levels, (as low as 79 at times!) Went to a specialist in another town, and the doc wants me on O2 full time. So far I use it at night, and a couple of hours during the day. I'm hoping there is some new medication that brings my levels up.

[S. Cane]

I wish I could say I quit 4 decades ago, but at least I finally quit. And I know I'll never smoke again. My mom died of lung cancer, and of course, it was a horrible thing, so that and a plea from my daughter--well, those made me finally break. And the sad thing? Quitting wasn't the horrible ordeal I had expected it to be; I could have quit all those years ago. Last year, I just made up my mind, did it, hurt for a cig for a couple of weeks, and that was it. Lots of cravings, but I get into whatever I'm doing, and I forget the craving as fast as it came on.

There is life after Drum rolling tobacco.

Congratulations, my friend!

I’ve never been an avid smoker but I too quit when COVID started screwing the world for real, so that makes around a year and a couple of months.

[Laker]

I wish I could say I quit 4 decades ago, but at least I finally quit. And I know I'll never smoke again. My mom died of lung cancer, and of course, it was a horrible thing, so that and a plea from my daughter--well, those made me finally break. And the sad thing? Quitting wasn't the horrible ordeal I had expected it to be; I could have quit all those years ago. Last year, I just made up my mind, did it, hurt for a cig for a couple of weeks, and that was it. Lots of cravings, but I get into whatever I'm doing, and I forget the craving as fast as it came on.

There is life after Drum rolling tobacco.

You know, I did quit in 1980 and it was the best thing I ever did for my health. After three days it was a permanent thing for me.

[ch willie]

You know, I did quit in 1980 and it was the best thing I ever did for my health. After three days it was a permanent thing for me.

I imagine. I started at age 12, at school (where they gave us a place to smoke!!!! 12 year olds). I quit for a time in the 80s and jogged every day. Became incredibly healthy. Then I thought I could smoke socially, and that was it for decades, until I stopped last year.

I'm glad you quit back then and quit for goodd. It's surely helped you, because even after such a short time, I'm experiencing the benefits of quitting. Takes a hardy man to sling a beautiful Lakland.

[Laker]

I imagine. I started at age 12, at school (where they gave us a place to smoke!!!! 12 year olds). I quit for a time in the 80s and jogged every day. Became incredibly healthy. Then I thought I could smoke socially, and that was it for decades, until I stopped last year.

I'm glad you quit back then and quit for goodd. It's surely helped you, because even after such a short time, I'm experiencing the benefits of quitting. Takes a hardy man to sling a beautiful Lakland.

I started smoking when I was around eight or nine years old when my family spent every summer at a lake cottage. My Buddy and I learned that as people drove into the resort parking area the smoking driver would toss his cigarette out the window, and we’d be on that butt and smoking it pretty quickly. It didn’t take long until sneaking them out of the old man’s pack, so I ended up a slave to the damned things for around 35 years.

[gibsonjunkie]

I'm so glad I never picked it up. My Dad was a three pack a day guy and my brother smoked heavily until he got the cancer. He lost 1 and 1/2 kidney, but it finally convinced him to quit. Mrs. Junkie has been diagnosed with emphysema and her doc says if she doesn't quit her life expectancy could drop to around 5 years. She is having one really hard time quitting and coughs horribly every time she smokes. On the plus side, she's been stone cold sober for over a year - it looks like she finally got that demon under control.

[Laker]

I'm so glad I never picked it up. My Dad was a three pack a day guy and my brother smoked heavily until he got the cancer. He lost 1 and 1/2 kidney, but it finally convinced him to quit. Mrs. Junkie has been diagnosed with emphysema and her doc says if she doesn't quit her life expectancy could drop to around 5 years. She is having one really hard time quitting and coughs horribly every time she smokes. On the plus side, she's been stone cold sober for over a year - it looks like she finally got that demon under control.

A very good friend battled both demons for many years and the cigarettes finally killed him. At one point when he was on oxygen he told me that he did it to himself by not quitting when his doctor told him he was in the beginning stages of emphysema.

[ch willie]

We do it to ourselves, for sure.

Kind of silly to do something so proven to put out your headlights.

I told myself lies:

It's too hard. I can't do it right now. I have to get prepared for it. False--Just do it because your brain can find a million excuses so that you can die of stupidity.

Smoking helps with my anxiety: False--it raises blood pressure, and nicotine can make you nervous.

I can't quit smoking until after I get this project finished; False--you'll always have a project to finish so you're lying to yourself, asserting "NOT JUST YET" (lie within a lie