I had an anniversary. Well, not much, just only about 7 months of NOT smoking. It has been 214 days on the I gave up smoking, and here is a brief statistic.
I was smoking for 10 years:
3652 days average. On a today's price I spent 20086 GBP on cigarette in the UK (A price of a good car), or 270248 CZK (8340 GBP) in Prague. Amazing, right?
Since I don't smoke:
Considering an average 1 pack a day ammount of cigarette smoken which was my normal daily portion, I can say I saved up 1174 GBP if I calculate a 5,5 GBP/pack price, or 490 GBP if I would have bought them in Prague at the price of 74 CZK. Either way, it is quite a big ammount of savings, not to mention my health condition which got better since I gave up. I can not say I am not starving for a cigarette, but this "hunger" can be controlled by mind now, and I dont need medication to be taken.
Nicotin addiction for me is a strong and not easily forgetable thing. I still see other people smoke and it makes me want it too, however I don't find myself thinking about cigarette on a daily basis, which is great. Good to feel that the first thing in the morning and the last at night is NOT the cigarette for me anymore. I am free. Free from a very unhealthy and expensive habbit. I am glad that I can breathe easily in the morning, I stopped caughing. My scent came back, I can smell different things, I smell parfumes, food, etc. (Before it was almost nothing) Good to know and feel that my clothes, hair, hand, mouth does not smell of smoke anymore. I have to admit, I have not realized how disqusting to smoke until I quit, and my body did not want to get nicotin.
I never thought I will be able to give it up, as noone believed me either considering how strong smoker I have been. I can not blame them, I did not even believe myself either. I think for me Champix was the option to get myself quit which worked out very well at the end. I still have to wait while I will be able to say proudly, I am not addicted. Right now, I am still an addict who does not smoke. But with time, I will be no addict anymore...