I've made it a month so far.

http://www.singleguymoney.com/2009/02/q ... later.html

Congratulations!! That is excellent!

Just think - your lungs are getting pinker and healthier by the minute.

Cheers,

Do they really recover? I thought that the damage was pretty much irrevocable.

Either way, great accomplishment. I've heard that quitting smoking is tougher than many other addictions. Kudos.

Yeah, your lungs do recover completely given enough time. (10 years +)

Human body = amazing machine.

Either way, congrats!

I'm trying the same thing, I made it a week thus far but last night I had a few while I was out with friends... ::sigh:: back on the countdown.

I know someone who tried to quit smoking. He can't do it though. He lacked self discipline and sheer determination.

Keep up the good wok.

I lack discipline and determination and quit anyway.

Congrats OP. Any plans on what you will do with your extra cash?

Destroyed lung doesn't come back, so once you've got COPD and are toting around an oxygen tank, yes, most of the damage is permanent. But in general you have to smoke a LOT to reach that milestone ... we're talking 80+ pack years (ie, 1 pack/day for 80 years, 2 packs/day for 40 years, etc). However, damaged lungs can recover to a significant degree. Here's a rough timeline for objectively measurable benefits to quitting smoking (with an emphasis on health before/during/after surgery) -

Reduced carboxyhemoglobin (carbon monoxide poisoning) and nicotine concentrations in less than a day - important for wound healing.
Improved ciliary function in 2-3 days.
Reduced sputum production in 1-2 weeks.
Improved lung function (by standard pulmonary function testing) in 4-6 weeks.
Immune function essentially returned to normal in 6-8 weeks.
A measurable reduction in overall postoperative morbidity and mortality after 8-12 weeks.

When you quit, it's actually common to experience worsened coughing/sputum production for the first week or so.

Most people who smoke don't die of cancer. The major health problems from smoking are related to progressive damage to the lungs and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Both of these can be mitigated and partially reversed, even if you quit smoking late in life. Chronic bronchitis, for example, will just go away when you quit.

The only time I'd say it's too late to quit is if you just left the hospital with a new diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer. Might as well light 'em up two at a time then.

Heard many times that quitting smoking is tough job, but u have taken a very good decision
congratulations keep it up
Stay healthy.............. stay happy

congrats! wow youre a good example

I had to reply to your quitting smoking post. I dont see that youve posted an update since your initial announcement....?

anyhow, I am 35 y.o. and smoked since I was 15. I just quit on December 24, 2008, about 4 months ago. I was a die hard cigarette lover and can still say that I loved smoking and still fondly think of smoking a cigarette the way one might delight upon the idea of a slice of strawberry cheesecake. I am not going to smoke, but I did love it. So, what I have learned since quitting is that I believe that quitting and remaining "quit" is 100% a mind game. Yes there are physical cravings and for about 2 weeks they were a most hellish experience, but I fought through them. After that there's not much left but your mind, and that can be worked with. I was so so so addicted to smoking, I was one of those OCD smokers who had to always have a cigarette available and never ever did I not have extra packs everywhere, like on stashes coins. I took cigarette breaks at work every 20 minutes, etc etc etc. Then something came over which was that I got sick of being so weak, being a prisoner of this poison. I decided pretty much out of the blue one day to quit, I cried and cursed but I promised myself and I didnt want to hate myself, so I did it. I was also fearing for my health and having anxiety issues. The thing about the mind trick is that everything I THOUGHT was true about smoking wasnt - and I didnt find that out until I wasnt smoking any more. I would wonder endlessly about how I was going to replace the minutes I would spend sitting outside smoking and I would wonder what else I could turn to when I needed something to calm me down or to take a break - what I learned was that all the reasons I thought I was smoking for dissapeared when I quit.

I was shocked at how different my body and mind felt after quitting and the change is so intense and complete that I know I wouldnt go back to smoking ever because there is no reason to. I encourage anyone to consider it - I had zero discipline and zero self control and i found out that quitting and staying smoke free had little to do with either thing.

Quit 1 year ago and doing awesome. Will never smoke again but might try a joint again at some point providing it has no tobacco in it.

It was damn hard and took about 5 attempts. It's such a relief that my body is so much healthier now.

Yes I lack discipline, but I just did it. You just have to force yourself. And maybe get a partner that hates it.

Well done all you quitters. Think of all the money you'll save.

I stopped about two years ago. After the first few weeks it actually turned out to be a lot easier than I had imagined it would be. And now all my clothes don't reek of cigarette smoke anymore! That's a huge plus.

Congrats and keep on the good work, people.
Being asthmatic and allergic to tobacco, I was lucky enough never to get started, but I've seen enough people fighting to get off of it that I realise it's really hard. So good luck with that and treat yourself to something nice with part of the money you save

I quit 5 weeks ago after reading "The easy way to quit smoking" by Allen Carr. Great book, if you're thinking of butting out - good read for sure.

I just told myself that I see no point in smoking, put my last smoke out and haven't touched it since then. Now I don't even think about smoking. Funny, that only when I saw your post I started counting how many weeks it's been.

Good job. Keep doing what you're doing.

Congratulations! Quitting smoking is seriously one of the hardest things to do, but it's totally worth it when you get there! I had smoked off and on for seven years (tried quitting in between) and then finally completely quit Jan. 1 2008 just before I turned 30.

Here's what I did: I got on Commit lozenges but I didn't adhere to their "taper off" method. Basically I had one anytime I needed it to get rid of the physical cravings but the lozenges gave me *almost* what I needed regarding the nicotine (they're never quite enough but you get used to them). Then, after about six months of not having a smoke in my hand every half hour I started tapering off the Commit nicotine intake, which I tapered off for about four or five months. Finally, by Jan. 1 2008 I quit completely and totally and haven't had a cigarette (and only one craving) since!

Anyway, it IS possible, and I give a lot of respect to people who are trying or who have been able to do it successfully.