The Good, The Bad and The (hopefully not so) Ugly

My husband often asks me, "which do you want first, the good news or the bad news?" I usually ask for the bad news first, with the hope that the good news is so good, the bad news won't matter. Today, though, I'll start with the good news first, because it's just too good to wait for!

As I've posted before, I'm working on a goal to "Be a Non-Smoker." Yesterday was my last day as a smoker. Today, I am a non-smoker. Wow, that was easy... yesterday I was a smoker, and today I am not. Clearly, it remains to be seen if I'm still a non-smoker this afternoon, and tomorrow, and next week and next month, but at least for right now, in this moment, I am a non-smoker.

Unlike with weight loss (something I know a lot of people struggle with and may be able to relate to more than smoking), I can just "declare" myself a non-smoker and as long as I don't light up, then I get to be just that. With weight loss, I can't just declare myself thin and be done with it. For me (as a smoker), this is the good news... I say it, and it's done! Easy as pie.

Of course, there's bad news, too... it's not really as simple as "just don't light up" anymore. Even with The Magic Pill I'm taking to help me, I still feel the signs of withdrawal (headache, inability to concentrate as much for a long period of time, etc.) and the habits are ingrained (reach for a smoke when I get in the car, when I'm hungry, before a long conference call is about to begin for work, etc.). So, the bad news is that I still have to work at not lighting up, and I know it'll be a rough row to hoe, but I'm ready!

With The Good and The Bad usually comes The Ugly, which may well be how I'm acting a few days from now (Quit Day 3 has historically been the hardest for me). However, for now I choose to focus on The Good (I'm a non-smoker) and will mitigate The Bad (cravings and withdrawal) as it comes, in order to avoid The Ugly. Look how much progress I've made already:

Within X time after my last cigarette (last night at 10:02pm):

• 20 minutes - My blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of my hands and feet all returned to normal.
• 12 hours - My blood oxygen level has increased to normal and carbon monoxide levels have have dropped to normal.

And I've got this to look forward to:

• 48 hours - Damaged nerve endings will have started to regrow and my sense of smell and taste will begin to return to normal.
• 72 hours - My entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites will now have passed from my body. I can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. My bronchial tubes will have begun to relax thus making it easier to breathe. My lung capacity will have also started to increase.
• 10 days to 2 weeks - My body will have physically adjusted to again functioning without nicotine and the more than 3,500 chemical particles and 500 gases present in each and every puff.
• 2 weeks to 3 months - My heart attack risk will have started to drop. My lung function will have started to improve.
• 3 weeks to 3 months - My circulation will have substantially improved. Walking will have become easier. Any smoker's cough will have disappeared.
• 1 to 9 months - Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath will have decreased. Cilia will have regrown in my lungs, thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep my lungs clean, and reduce infections. My body's overall energy will have increased.
• 1 year - My excess risk of coronary heart disease will have dropped to less than half that of a smoker.
• 5 to 15 years - My risk of stroke will have declined to that of a non-smoker.
• 10 years - My risk of death from lung cancer will have declined by almost half . My risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus will have decreased.
• 15 years - My risk of coronary heart disease will be that of a person who has never smoked.

Source: WhyQuit.com