This February will be 6 years that I quit smoking ciggies, but I spent MANY, MANY years in smoke-filled pool rooms, inhaling second-hand smoke while I was smoking, sad to say.
Keith promises me that on January 1st, he will quit smoking. I remind him of it every day that we have to go out and buy cigarettes at $8 to $10 a pack. He smokes outside on the porch, but you can still smell it when he walks back in the house.
Keith reads AzBilliards forum when he wakes up, before he makes his daily bets. You hear that, Keith? January 1st is right around the corner. :grin-square:
That said, when I was smoking, I couldn't stand people telling me that I should quit for my own good, et cetera. It pissed me off. I enjoyed smoking a lot, but now that I have quit, I only wish I had quit many years ago. I'm over it. They say nicotine addiction is worse than a heroin addiction when it comes to quitting. I can't believe I did it. I quit for 3-1/2 years when I was in my 30s, and I ended up going back. Well, not now. Everybody I know is dropping like flies due to cigarette-related deaths, IMO.
Maryland One-Pocket player Michael "Geese" Gerace died at the age of 54 from cancer. He smoked Lucky Strikes without the filter, a couple packs a day.
Here's a little food for thought for anyone who is contemplating quitting.
Within:
20 minutes - Your blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of your hands and feet have returned to normal.
8 hours - Remaining nicotine in your bloodstream has fallen to 6.25% of normal peak daily levels, a 93.75% reduction.
12 hours - Your blood oxygen level has increased to normal. Carbon monoxide levels have dropped to normal.
24 hours - Anxieties have peaked in intensity and within two weeks should return to near pre-cessation levels.
48 hours - Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability will have peaked.
72 hours - Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites (the chemicals it breaks down into) will now have passed from your body via your urine. Symptoms of chemical withdrawal have peaked in intensity, including restlessness. The number of cue induced crave episodes experienced during any quitting day have peaked for the "average" ex-user. Lung bronchial tubes leading to air sacs (alveoli) are beginning to relax in recovering smokers. Breathing is becoming easier and your lung's functional abilities are starting to increase.
5-8 days - The "average" ex-smoker will encounter an "average" of three cue induced crave episodes per day. Although we may not be "average" and although serious cessation time distortion can make minutes feel like hours, it is unlikely that any single episode will last longer than 3 minutes. Keep a clock handy and time them.
10 days - The "average" ex-user is down to encountering less than two crave episodes per day, each less than 3 minutes.
10 days to 2 weeks - Recovery has likely progressed to the point where your addiction is no longer doing the talking. Blood circulation in your gums and teeth are now similar to that of a non-user.
2 to 4 weeks - Cessation related anger, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, impatience, insomnia, restlessness and depression have ended. If still experiencing any of these symptoms get seen and evaluated by your physician.
21 days - Brain acetylcholine receptor counts that were up-regulated in response to nicotine's presence have now down-regulated and receptor binding has returned to levels seen in the brains of non-smokers.
8 weeks - Insulin resistance in smokers has normalized despite average weight gain of 2.7 kg (1997 study).
1 to 9 months - Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath has decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs, thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean and reduce infections. Your body's overall energy has increased.
1 year - Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.
5 years - Your risk of a subarachnoid haemorrhage has declined to 59% of your risk while still smoking (2012 study).
5 to 15 years - Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.
10 years - Your risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer is between 30% and 50% of that for a continuing smoker. Risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and pancreas have declined. Risk of developing diabetes for both men and women is now similar to that of a never-smoker.
13 years - The average smoker who is able to live to age 75 has 5.8 fewer teeth than a non-smoker. But by year 13 after quitting, your risk of smoking induced tooth loss has declined to that of a never-smoker.
15 years - Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked. Your risk of pancreatic cancer has declined to that of a never-smoker.
20 years - Excess risk of death from all smoking related causes, including lung disease and cancer, has now reduced to that of a never-smoker.