The Aftermath

It's April 2, 2009, I have quit smoking cigarettes for 14,928 hours or 1.7 years. Was it worth it? Well, I can exercise longer and I'm less agitated. I can breathe better, I'm more energized - but was it worth it? Cigarettes are running about $6-$8 per pack, and I use to smoke about 2 1/2 packs per week, so I saved around $900 a year. I can't see me lungs, but I don't wake up in the morning short of breath anymore. I sort of forgot how it felt to ALWAYS want the next cigarette or watching the time to see if an hour has pass so I could light up again. I always had this thing that I couldn't smoke more than one cigarette per hour. Anyway back to the question - was it worth it? Did quitting smoking benefit me? I gained a lot of weight, about 40 pounds, so I'm obese. I eat a lot more, more than before, maybe because food taste better now. I actually don't remember eating too much when I smoked. I remember wanting to finish m food as fast as I could, so I could smoke right after. That felt good smoking right after a meal. I don't know, was it worth it? I haven't smoked since July 17, 2007, not even one cigarette. Sure I craved one, but it didn't matter because after the first month of not smoking a cigarette, your mind and body can do without it. But boy those first weeks were grueling. That was some will power. I don't think I ever tired so hard in my life to stop a habit. I don't thing words can express how difficult those few weeks were. Habits can be broken, but it takes change. A commitment from within. Not sure if this write up answered the question, but what I did learn from quitting smoking is that you have to quit for the rest of your life, one slip up and your hooked again. That's the feeling of being addiction.